Precious Stones - Forgotten Books

PR EC IOUS STONES

N ATUR E,

‘

AR T,

“

AND LITER ATUR E

W M"

SH M . § U R NHAMA UTHOR OF

“LIM ESTON ES A N D M A R BLES : THEIRHISTOR Y

A N D U SES”

Boston

B R A D L EE WHIDD EN1886

Copyrnlzt, 1 886,BY BR A DLEE VVHIDDEN .

ELECT R OTYPED BY

C. J. PETE R S A N D SON , BOSTON .

C O N T E N T S .

CHA PTER PAGE

I . ORIGIN , P ROPERTIES , CLAS S IFICAT ION , LOCALITIES , IM ITAT IONS ,A N D A NT IQU ITY OF PRECIOU S STONES

II . P RICES , TRADE, PAWN S , S UMPTUARY LAWS , 393133 111135 , A N D S IZEOF PRECIOU S STONES

I I I . COLLECTION S OF P RECIOU S STONES0 1V . CROWN JEWELS

SECU LAR U S ES OF PRECIOU S STONESV I . S ECU LAR U SES OF P RECIOU S STONES con tinued. D IFFERENT

K INDS OF ORNAMENTS°V II . SACRED U SES OF P RECIOU S STONESV II I . PRECIOU S STONES IN L ITERATU RE . THE IR M YSTICAL P ROPERTIES ,IX. ENGRAVING ON PRECIOU S STONESX . THE D IAMONDXI . HOME OF THE D IAMONDXI I . HISTORICAL A N D R EM ARKABLE D IAMONDSXI II . THE PRECIOU S CORU NDU M . SAPPHIRE , A STERIA, EM ERALD, A M E

THYST ,TOPAZ, R U BY .

XIV . BERYL, EMERALD, TOPAZo f ”

XV . OPAL —PEARLXV I . SPINEL, GARNET, TOU RM ALINE, TU RQU O ISE , LAPIS -LAZU LI, Z IRCON ,

CHRYSOLITE , CHRYSOBERYL, IOLITE, KYAN ITE, A POPHYLLITEXV I I . LABRADORITE , JADE , N EPHRITE, AMAZON- STONE, M ALACHITE,

A ZU RITE, M OONSTONE, S U N STONE , ADU LARIA, PHENAKITE,ZONOCHLORITE, D IOPS IDE , D IOPTASE , EP IDOTE , EU CLASE, CR OCIDOLITE, T ITAN ITE, LEPIDOLITE , CHLORASTROLITE , A XIN ITE ,V ESUVIAN ITE (OR IDOCRASE) , OBS IDIAN , LODESTONE , M AGNETITE, STEAT ITE, S ELEN ITE , V U LPIN ITE , SPODUMENE,HIDDEN ITE(OR L ITH IA-EM ERALD) , CHONDRODITE, BOWEN ITE , W ILLIAM S ITE,THOM SON ITE , W ILLEMITE ,

R UT ILE, M ONAZ ITE, EU CHRO ITE,BARITE , HEM ATITE , D IASPORE , A NDALU S ITE, OCTAHEDRITE,A GALM ATOLITE , ORANG ITE , RHODOCR OS ITE, CROCO IS ITE, M U R

RHIN ET-

C'

C-

EA L , AMBER, JET3

4 CON TEN TS .

XV III . QUARTZ FAMILY—R OCK - CRYSTAL, AMETHYST, A GATE, ONYX ,SARDONYX , N ICOLO , CHALCEDONY, SAPPHIRINE , CARNELIAN ,SARD, CHRYSOPRASE, PLASMA, CAT’S -EYE , HELIOTROPE (OR

BLOODSTONE) , CAIRNGORM, A VENTU RINE, JASPER, P RASE, IRIS ,N OVACULITE , A RIZONA PETRIFACT ION S

APPENDIX A . S IZE OF LARGE A N D R EMARKABLE D IAMONDSAPPENDIX B. CLAS S IFICATION OF P RECIOU S S TONES , ACCORDING TO

THE IR P RINCIPAL CON ST ITU ENTSA PPENDIX C . HARDNESS A N D SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF PRECIOU S STONESA PPENDIX D . R ELATIVEHARDNES S OF P RECIOU S STONESA PPENDIX R ELAT IVE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF P RECIOU S STONESA PPENDIX F. LOCALITIES IN THE U N ITED STATES WHERE GEM -M IN

ER A LS HAVE BEEN FOUND

P R E F A C E .

IN the preparation of the work on“ Precious Stones , use

has been made of al l the ass is tance W ith in reach Of the author

Obtained from writers expressly discoursing upon this topic ,

from general l iterature, and ffom works exc lus ively scient ific.

The subj ect covers a wide field , and is on e about which , on

some po ints , there is cons iderab le difference Of Opinion there

fore, the difficulty of arriving at the truth is much greater than

Where there is more concurrence Of V i ews,and more agree

ment in the statements Of what are claimed to be h istorical

facts .

Very few American works on precious ston es exist , and

those that have been publ ished are general ly l imited in the

number of species described ; while nothing, or only very

meagre accounts have been given to American gems by for

eign authors . The mo st complete l ist Of nat ive gems is by

Mr. George F . Kunz , mineralogist and gem -expert , employed

by Messrs . Tiffany and Company, New York, publ ished in the

United States Geological Surveys,under the superintendence

of Mr . Albert Will iams, Jr. The author very gratefully ao

knowledges the assistance generously Offered by Mr. Kunz,

who examined parts Of the manuscript,and suggested several

improvements , more especial ly in the scient ific and practical

portions of the work .

I t was the aim Of the author to present some facts in refer

ence to the resources Of our own as well as Of other countries of

6 P R EFA CE .

the globe, i n decorat ive S tones for architectural purposes in a

work published in 1883, on“ Limestones and Marbles . The

present volume is intended as a sor t Of supplement , covering

the same ground,and il lustrating the use of precious stones in

decorat ion,more espec ial ly as personal ornaments . , The gem

mineral s are,in a certain sense, complemental to the arch i

tectural decorat ive stones , and the crowning glory Of nature’s

handiwork , the rarest Of al l he r material productions , and

those invested with the greatest fascinat ion,either as Obj ects

o f careful study or as treasures to be won at great Sacrifice.

I t is not easy , nor, perhaps , desirable , to give a l ist of all

the writers from whom assistance , e ith er directly or indirectly,

has been obtained , s ince they are scattered through various

departments Of knowledge, but many of them have been

referred to in the text , and if a thought has been borrowed

without specifying the definite source whence it was taken , i t

has usual ly been because it could be traced to several authors ,

showing that either the idea was nat ive to all, or that all had

Obtained it from the same source.

Doubtles s there are many errors which have been over

looked by the author, Or which have been received as truth ;

but it i s hoped that fact s have been presented in most in

stances and made instruct ive to the general reader.

P R EC IO U S S T O N E S .

CHAPTER I .

O R IGIN , P R OPE R T IES , CL A S S IFICA T ION ,L OCA L IT IE S , IM ITAT ION S ,

A N D A N TIQU ITY OF P R EC I OU S STON E S .

Orig in .

— A des ire to penetrate the h idden mysteries of

nature ’s operat ions is in nate in man,and has led to some Of the

grandest and the most useful ach ievements Of the human

mind .

‘This longing to become acquainted with her laws and

to account for her phenomena stimulated the act ivity Of ancient

thought as it now in cites modern invest igation , and has given

birth to many Of the innumerable theories that have always

marked the progress of science .

The various speculations in regard to the origin of precious

stones afford some curious i llustrations of the mental pecul iari

t ies Of different nat ions as well as indiv iduals ; as , for example,the

‘

Greeks, with their poetical and religious biases , referred

them to the direct agency Of their divinit ies , or to some of the

forces of nature person ified and invested with mysterious

powers . The youth who rocked the cradle Of thet

in fan t Jupiter

o n the‘

I sland Of Crete was transformed into the adamas , and

here we have the origin Of the diamond . A beautiful nymph

beloved by Bacchus was changed into the amethyst , represent ing

the color Of this god ’s favorite beverage . The sources of amber

were numerous : drops Of perspirat ion exhaled by the goddess

G e, the Earth,the tears shed by the S isters Of the il l - fated

8 P R E CI OUS S TON ES .

Phaeton , the tears Shed by the S isters Of Meleager,the tears

for fEsculapius, the tears of certain sea-birds,to which al lus ion

i s made by the poet in the l ines

A roun d thee S hal l glisten the lo veliest amberThat ever the sorrowing sea-bird hath wept.”

Amber i s certainly a most pathetic gem ,s ince S O many tears

were Shed at it s birth ; but it had also a more material source

honey melted by the sun and congealed by fall ing into the

sea. Lapis - lazul i sprung from the agonizing cry Of an Indian

giant ; the emerald originated in the fire-fly ; and o ther equally

fantast ic notions const ituted the popular bel ief in regard to the

origin of precious stones , though some of the ancient philOS O

phers were disposed to account for their existence on less

superst it ious grounds . They were supposed by Plato to be

the resu lt Of fermentation originat ing in the stars , while the

diamond , which has always been an exceptional gem , was the

kernel Of auriferous matter condensed into a transparent mass .

Theophrastus , n early twenty- four centuries ago, discarding the

general bel ief in the supernatural origin Of mineral species ,

thought all rocks and metals originated from water and earth ,

water being the base of metal s , earth Of stones , both common

and precious .

L ater T/zeorz'

es.

—Modern scientists , who are as much inclin ed to speculations as their predecessors , have their extraor

din ary and confl icting systems upon thi s fruitful theme. There

are those who maintain that prec ious stones are the resul t of

aqueous solution,others that they

’

were the product of hot

vapors , while a third school bel ieve they were formed through

metamorphism by s egregat ion from Older rocks ; but how th e

primary rocks came into being, i s a question which natur~

ally arises for solution . Robert Boyle, Of the seventeenth

century, bel ieved all precious stones were original ly formed of

OR I GHV, P R OPE R TIE S , CLA S S IFI CA TI ON ; E TC.o 93

l impid water,and that their color and other essent ial properties

were derived from their metall ic Spirit . Sir John Hill , nearly'

a century later,adopted the opin ion that they were formed by

the concretion of matter from cohesion or by some kind‘

Of'

percolation,and that the difference of their const ituent s and

the manner Of coalescence were the causes Of their various .

qual it ies,as smoothness

,density, transparency, etc . He

further maintained that their const ituent matter was a

pellucid,crystall ine substance of different degrees of hardness,

and had it been in a perfectly pure state, all precious stones

would have been without color.

Hatiy, the father Of modern mineralogy, says most crystal s.were formed in water where the const ituents, at firs t sep

arated and suspended , were brought together by force Of"

mutual attract ion ; that is , the particles diffused and float

ing were brought together by the att ract ion Of cohes ion and

precipitated,when they formed a stratum pure and homo«

gen eous. This const itute s the aqueous theory, which has its

Opponents .

As most precious stones are transparent or translucent , the

inference has been drawn that their constituents must have

been in the condit ion Of gases or l iqu ids—an Opin ion sustained

by the discoveries of the microscope , which reveal the fact that

in many different Species , water or some other fluid is enclosed

in cavit ies , Often S O extremely minute that several m ill ions.

occur in a cubic inch . These l ittle cell s appear luminous by

reflected l ight , which gives brill iancy to the gem ; but if the

l ight be tran smitted , they pre sent a dark outl ine. Some Of

these porous crystals not unfrequently burst and fly to pieces

by the appl icat ion Of strong heat , in consequence of the expan

S ion of the enclosed fluid .

Water Often forms on e Of the const ituents Of rocks,but it is

1 0 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

in a different state from that found in cavit ies , which makes no

p art Of their substance . Sir David Brewster bel ieved every

m ineral enclos ing water was of aqueous origin,but Mr. Morris

s ays we are not to suppose the presence Of water essent ial to

the format ion of crystals, S ince they are al so produced byigneous fus ion

,when the cavities are fi l led with a substan ce

resembling glass,as seen in augite

‘

from Vesuvius . Sometimes

t he matter enclosed is crystallized, when the pores are called

stone cavit ies,and at other t imes the cell s are fi l led with gas .

The fluid cavit ies Of zeol ites boiling stones ” —seem to

indicate that they were depos ited in heated waters .

Minerals found in a conglomerate Of Mount Somma enclose

, all th e different kinds Of cavit ies , showing, says th is writer, they

were made by the combined act ion Of water and igneou s fusion .

He thinks the minerals Of Mt . Vesuvius were formed at a dull

h eat Of 335° Centigrade

,under a pressure Of, probably, two

t housand feet , and in the presence Of water holding alkaline

salts in solut ion,different gases , and vapors .

Mr. Church i s Of the Opin ion that the natural proces s

~Of forming precious stones was by water, great pressure ,

a nd long t ime ; while another writer o n the subj ect d ivides

them ,i n reference to their origin , into two classes : those

formed by direct fus ion , the igneous method ; and those by

water,the aqueous method . The hypothes is may be confi

vdén tly assumed that the el ementary const ituent s Of precious

s tones existed In a state to move freely among themselves , or

t heir homogeneous character could not have been secured .

This condit ion , it i s maintained , could have been Obtained by

fusion , by:disintegration , or by reduct ion to vapor.

These various theories may all comprise some truth , but

t hey leave the sub j ect open to further invest igation .

P roperties. There i s a dist inct ion between precious stones

OR I GL/V, P R OP E R TIE S , CLA S S IFI CA TI ON ; E TC.I I

a nd gems in a strictly S cient ific sense. The name “ precious

appl ied to a m ineral refers to only a few-

species , generally dis

t inguished by superior transparency, lustre , color, h ardness ,

a n d some other characterist ics while “ gem ” i s a term t ch

embraces a wider range ,‘

and comprises a larger variety Of

m aterials used for personal decorat ion . I n a popular sense ,

however,precious stone and gem are nearly ident ical , and

include several substances not mineral , and others , which are

want ing in some of the qual it ies considered essent ial in an

O rnamental stone of the fi rst class .

Writers on precious stones differ materially in the classifica‘t ion and arrangement of their properties

,some Of the Older

m ineralogists making color the test Of their distribut ive order,

w hile modern scientist s clas s them according to their chemical

c onst ituents , which consist largely Of carbon , aluminum , s il icon ,

m agnesium ,glucinum , Z ircon ium , and iron , with alkal ies for

solvents . The excellence Of precious stones , i t has been said ,

depends not S O much upon their compos it ion as upon the com

plete solut ion and combinat ion Of their consti tuent s .

Their physical properties are color . lustre,hardness

,spec ific

gravity, refract ion , polarizat ion , fus ibil ity, combust ibil ity, phos

phorescen ce , and crystall izat ion .

Color —This i s on e of the most striking and important

qualit ies of ornamental stones , and const itutes their most

a ttract ive feature , always excepting colorles s diamonds, and

s ome other Species Of the first rank . It affords , also , some Of

the most interest ing phenomena connected with these marvel s

O f creat ion . They may exhib it only on e color, and are , there

fore , monochroic ; they may have more than one , when they

a re cal led pleochro ic they may be Opalescent , or prismat ic ,a nd display all the colors Of the rainbow ; again

,they may

“

reflect rays differing from the color of the crystal , when they

1 2 P R E CI OUS S TOJVE S .

are said to be fluorescent ; and chatoyant , when they emit a

changeable , wavy light.

The colors found in precious stones are the most brill iant in

n ature, and resemble more closely the hues Of the solar spec ~

t rum than those Of any other material substance . The cause Of

these different colors has given rise to considerable specula

t ion,in which differen t Opinions have been advanced by differ

ent theorists , some having thought that l ight , and crystall ine or

molecular arrangement , had an influence in producing them

while others have maintained a different view . It i s generallyadmitted that the coloring matter consists of various metall ic s.

oxides ; but Of the nature of these oxides there is not th e:

same uniformity Of opin ion . Were the crystal s perfectly free:

from foreign subst ances,they would al l be W i thout color, as is

the case with some gems ; therefore , the del ightful charm aris -n

ing from the beauty and variety o f their hues would have been ,

precious stones depend upon the n ature and quantity Of the

extraneous substance,combined with the original co n stitu~

ents . This matter thus introduced— iron for instance , whichforms on e Of the most general coloring agents — i s not in »

i t s elemental s tate,but i s united with oxygen , in d ifferen t

degrees, S O as to produce differen t hues , by changing it s .

density. For instance,one amount in a molecule will give red

rays ; but by changing the quant ity of oxygen the result will

be yellow rays,while another combination will afford green

rays,etc . Sir John Hil l advances some interest ing theories o n

the subj ect,which later writers have not ful ly adopted . He

says lead produces yellow t int s ; iron , red ; t in , black ; copper,

green or blue,depending upon the nature Of the solvent . If an.

ac id , i t will be green if an alkal i, it will be blue . When lead’

t

OR I GI /V; P R OP E R TIES , CLA S S IFI CA TI OIV, E TC.13

b ecomes the coloring agent , the crystal is a topaz ; when lead

is combined with iron, the union forms a hyacinth ; but when“iron alone i s present, a garnet or some other red gem is the

resul t. Ruby owes its hue to go ld ; but if the crystal i s c ol

o red by an acid Copper, i t becomes an emerald ; and if by an

alkal i solvent,a sapphire. This writer advances the Opinion

that copper,being affected by every kind Of solvent, produces

a n almost infinite variety Of beautiful colors , and is probably the

base Of the coloring matter of more gems than any o ther, or

all o ther substances combined. He also bel ieved that the

c oloring agent in precious stOn eS had an influence on the

f orm of the crystal s : the cube being the resu l t Of lead ;

the rhombohedron , Of iron ; the four- S ided pyramid , Of tin ; and

o ther geo metrical figures , the effect of other different coloringm aterials .

In opposit ion to these views , Hauy says the principal color

ing agent in precious stones i s iron , with few except ions, the

S pinel and Peruvian emerald being colored by chrome,and

t he chrysoberyl by nickel . In the oriental or precious corun

dum, iron combined with different quant it ie s Of Oxygen causes

n early al l the colors of the solar spectrum, as s een in the ruby,s apphire, emerald , topaz, and amethyst variet ies Of th i s spec ies .

Arranged according to color, th e wkiz‘e, or, more properly,c olorless , species , in clude the diamond , sapphire, topaz, zircon

o r j argoon , beryl , phenakite, rock- crystal , and some others ,t hough all o r nearly al l Of these have their colored variet ies .

The best known red gems are the ruby,of many Shades , the

Spinel (displaying scarlet , flame,and aurora t ints

,sometimes

approach ing crimson and violet) , the garnet , and the tourmal ine .

Orang e and yellow stones are found with the Z i rcon (which

is sometimes compared to t ransparent gold) , essonite, Brazil ian

topaz, sapph ire, chrysoberyl , and beryl .

I4 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

Forg reen gems , we have the emerald , chrysoprase, tourma

l ine, peridot , garnet Of the Urals , aquamarine , and beryl .

Blue stones comprise the sapphire, Spinel

,iol it e

,lapis

lazul i , and indicol ite (a variety Of tourmal ine) ; while for

purple, the amethys t and the almandine garnet afford

examples .

The color of some preciou s stones,when looked a t, is

different from that seen when looking t/zrozlgk the crystal ;that is , their reflected rays are not like those transmitted,as i s the case with the tourmaline and the sapphire d ’eau

,

or iol ite.

Die/zroism (the qual ity Of exh ibit ing two colors) and pleoe/z

roism (the qual ity of exhibit ing more than two) are , it i s sup

posed , due to the refract ion and polarizat ion Of light ; and it is

only in double - refract ing crystals that these propert ies inhere.

The different colors displayed by these minerals depend upon.

the direct ion in which they are viewed .

The tourmaline affords the best illustrat ion of th is remark

able property, presenting, as it does , red , yellow,green , and

blue,with some other t ints , in the same crystal ; the emerald

and the ruby exhibit ' the same phenomenon , only in a less

degree. A blue sapphire , examined by a dichroscope , affords ,

bes ides it s ordinary color, a greenish yel low, th'e topaz a pink

and yellow ; while andalus ite , from Brazil , gives white, green ,

and pink hues .

L iislre, an important qual ity in gems , depends upon their

structure , texture , and reflect ing powers . There are d ifferent

kinds Of lustre , as adamantine , l ike the diamond vi treous , l ike

glass res inous,pearly

,and Silky . The brill iancy Of a precious

stone is th e result Of it s lustre,or it s power of rece iving a

pol i sh , and may differ in the same Species .

Trmzsparefl ey .

—The capacity of t ransmitt ing l ight enhances

OR I GIN ; P R OP E R TIES , CLA S S IFI CA TI OIV, E TC.15

the value of decorat ive stones , as in the diamond, which p rob

ably affords the best illustrat ion Of th is qual ity but there IS a

Wide difference in the degree Of th is power possessed by most

gems,which receives d ifferent names , according to its strength

or feebleness . They are transparent , when Obj ect s are dis

tin ctly seen through them ; translucent , when light passes .

through,but no obj ects are seen ; and Opaque,

’

when no l ight

i s transmitted . Some transparent gems become more or less

Opaque when seen in certain direct ions . Writers on stones

sometimes use the firs t and second terms indiscriminately, call

ing a m ineral transparent when i t i s only translucen t . The

ancient s accounted for the lustre and transparency Of the dia

mond by supposing it was congealed water.Hardn ess in prec ious stones is of great importance , s ince itprotect s them from inj ury, renders them capable Of a h igh

po l ish , and fit s them for test ing this qual ity in other species Of

mineral s . The property Of hardness does not mean the power

Of resist ing crush ing weight, S ince a very hard mineral may be

very brittl e nor does it depend upon the tenacity with which

the particles cohere, or it s infrangibi l ity, S ince the hardest

stones , l ike the diamond , may be eas ily broken by a fal l or a

blow ; but i t impl ies the qual ity Of res ist ing the act ion Of a ,

point , —as of a needle,—or the difficulty Of being scratched by

any softer substance .

The brill iancy and fire , or play Of colors , are, to a certain»

extent , influenced by the hardness Of the substance , though not

in all cases , as in the opal . The diamond will not yield to anyo ther*

S ton e , but will scratch al l others hence, i t i s ranked as

the hardes t gem . The sapphire will res is t quartz , proving the

latter to be the softer. The scale of hardness establ ished by

Mohs ran ges from I , the softest , to 10, the hardest , a place

ass igned to the diamond alone . Some Of the best known

1 6 P R E CI OUs S TON E S .

p recious stones are arranged by mineralogist s in the following~o rder Of hardnes s

Diamon d 10 Emerald . f JadeS apphire 9 Zircon P erido tR uby To urmaline M oon ston e

Chrysoberyl Phen akite TurquoiseS pin el 8 A lman dine OpalTopaz 8 Io lite Lapis- lazuliA quamarine 8 Amethyst 7 Cal lain ite

For a more exten s ive l ist , see Table of Hardnes s and

S pecific Gravity.

I t will be seen that d ifferent species have sometimes the

s ame degree Of hardness, and the quest ion arises , how are

t hey to be d ist inguished from one another. In reply to this

q uery, i t may be said that hardness , though an important test,‘is n ot the only one, nor i s i t always the best one to be used ,e specially when a gem might be inj ured in it s appl icat ion . A

safer and perhaps a more satisfactory c riterion is

Specific g rav ity , which is the weight of a body compared

with the weight of an equal bulk Of water,—that i s , i t expresseshow many t imes heavier i t i s than water ; or it may be defined

.as the rat io between the weight of the substance and that Of an

e qual volume Of some other substance taken as a standard .

All solid bodies S ink or float i n a l iquid, according as their spe

c ific gravity i s greater or less than that of the l iquid . Therefore ,

taking dist illed water as I , all bodies with a specific gravity

greater than I will S ink if plunged into it. The rules for Ob

t ain ing Specific gravity vary. On e method is to divide the

weight of the body—a precious stone, for instance—in airby it s loss Of weight in water, and the quotient wil l be it s

s pecific gravity. If a gem weighs four grains in air, and three

in water,i t i s evident it has displaced on e grain Of water, and

"

h as a specific gravity Of 4 Water is general ly used in the ap

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18 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

t ime a qual ity denominated phosphorescence. The diamond,

i n some Of it s variet ies , naturally possesses th is attribute to a

certain extent .

Electricity . The property Of attract ing or repell ing certain

substances inheres in some bodies,while in others

,naturally

non - electric, it may be excited by heat , fri ct ion , or pressure .

Precious stones are more or le ss electrical either pos it ively o r

negatively, while some species are pos it ive at one end Of the

crystal and negat ive at the other,as the tourmali ne

.

Another importan t qual ity in precious stones for the pur

poses Of j ewelry is that Of Splitt ing in definite direct ions,

which is called cleavag e.

Ismn orp/zisni i s a term appl ied to crystallized compounds

formed Of substances differing essent ially in their nature, but

appearing to be identical .

Crystalliz a tion i s th e property which certain substances pos

ses s of sol idifyin g in regular shapes . The name crystal , “ ice,

”

was given to quartz by the ancients, from the bel ief that th is

m ineral was sol idified water. Sometimes the term is in accu

rately applied to fl in t glass , which is not crystall ine in nature.

When bodies cool in sol id mass, as in the case of some precious

stones , they are said to be amorp/zons.

“ The process Of crys tall izat ion,” says Profes sor Cook , “ is

on e Of the most s triking phenomena in the whole range Of

experimental science . Beaut iful , symmetrical forms shape

themselves in an instant, out of a l iquid mass, reveal ing an

arch itectural power, in what we call l ifeles s matter, whose exis

tence and control ling influence but few have probably real ized .

”

The substance at the t ime of crystall izat ion is thought to

have been in a state Of fus ion , gas , vapor, or solution. In the

format ion Of crystal s,a different law predominates from that

which controls organized beings ; that is , they grow externally,

OR I GIN , P R OP E R TIE S , CLA S S IFI CA TTON , E TC. 9

and are dest itute of any internal organ izat ion whatever,corre

Spon ding to that found in the vegetabl e and animal kingdoms.

All crystals , unless interfered with , have the power of assuming

a definite form,which they retain as a dist inct ive characteris

t ic ; therefore crystall izat ion becomes an important tes t in

determining the kind Of precious stone where the resemblance

in other qual ities is s triking, as between a diamond and rock

crystal . They are al l classed with on e or other of the s ix

systems recognized by modern mineralogists.‘

In their manner

Of growth,crystal s adhering to

.the faces Of rocks have their

longest axis at right angles to them , or they may be said to

be placed in relation to the rocks as trees are to the so il,

as may be seen in some geodes , where they are displayed to

advantage.

OpticalP roperties.

—These includei

rey‘ro etion and polariz a

tion Of ligh t . When a ray Of l ight fall s obl iquely on the sur

face Of a transparent body, i t i s refracted, or bent from its

original course . Refract ion is either S ingle or double . A

crys tal i s said to possess s ingle refract ion when only on e

Obj ect i s seen through it ; but if the rays of l ight are sep

arated so as to pass in d ifferent d irect ions , thus present ing

two images,the crystal i s cal led double- refract ing, and affords

on e Of the most curious phenomena in nature . This property

varies greatly in different gems : those belonging to the mono

metric system , l ike the diamond, are S ingle refractors ; those of

other systems , l ike the ruby, quartz, and many others , are

double refractors the topaz and the tourmal in e are particularly

dist inguished for double refract ion . D ispersion i s the property

Of a refracted ray to separate into it s constituent colors , and

produces the prismatic effects so delightful in gem- stones .

P olo riz o lion of n nl.—It i s thought that each lum inous

mo lecule has two poles , analogous to the poles Of the magnet,

P R E CI OUS S TON ES .

and that a beam Of l ight reflected at a certain angle will be

again reflected if the two plates are parallel to each other, but

not if they are perpendicular t o each other ; th is beam is said

to be polarized . In some double - refract ing crystal s , th e two

Opposite polarized beams Of l ight are Of d ifferent colors .

Classifica tion .

—Hardly any two Writers concur in the samesystem Of class ificat ion , and perhaps in no other department

Of sc ient ific knowledge have there been S O many arbitrary

arrangements Of a subj ect as in that Of precious stones . This

may have arisen from a difference Of opinion in regard to their

true character, and ignorance Of their chemical constituents

and the laws which govern their crystal l ine forms . It has been

said that no strictly scient ific class ificat ionOf gems is possible ;but the neares t approach to it can be reached through their

chemical propert ies , and habits Of crystall izat ion . Grouping

them according to color, important for some purposes , i s the

most s triking method , and the o n e most frequently employed

by the ancients , but it is ent irely misleading in regard to

their real nature . The pract ical art ist classes them in refer

ence to color, transparency, bril l iancy, and some o ther attri

butes ; the dealer ranks them in the order Of their commercial

value and the varying moods Of fashion . Another arrangement

i s to call all those Of superior excellence “ oriental ,”though

they may never have been brought from the east , and those of

inferior qual ity “ occidental,

” without regard to the place of

their origin .

A S i t i s imposs ible to classify precious stones in any regular

system depending upon their beauty, color, transparency, or

any other external qual ity,s ince the same spec ies Often presents

a great divers ity i n these attributes , that method of grouping

them according to theirchemical compos it ion is probably the

best which has yet been employed . In examining a gem -min

OR I GI IV, P R OP E R TI ES , CLA S S IFI CA TI ON ; E TC. ’ 2 1

era" to ascertain the species to which it belongs , i t i s necessary

to establish the nature of its elements and the form of its crys

tals,but on e test alone is no t sufficient for th is purpose .

L ocalities. There IS no law, i t has been Observed, regulat

ing the geograph ical distribut ion Of mineral species , as is the

case with plant s and animals, hence c l imate has l ittle or no

influence upon their development , yet it is a fact'

that the

richest co lored gems are found in tropical regions .

They Occur in different geological formations , but the most

valuable are found in the Oldest . Sometimes they are imbedded

in a mas s of rock,at other tifn es they are near the surface

,in

diluvial or al luvial soil,gravels , and sands Of river- beds where

they are seen as river pebbles , and n ot unfrequently do they

appear in derivative rocks,far from their original home.

They are most abundant in warm countries, and from this

circumstance it has been thought that volcanic agency may

have had some influence in producing them . I t would seem

that “ some peculiar conditions in the laboratory Of nature,

”

must have been required for the product ion Of these her

choicest gifts . Some Of the southern countries Of th e eastern

continent yield the finest and the largest quant ities Of the most

valuable gems, the ruby, sapphire, topaz, Spin el , j acinth , and

other colored stones . How can this be accounted for except on

the ground that cl imate has to some extent a controll in g effect

upon the formation Of prec ious stones , though it cannot be the

only influence,s ince they occur, in some Of their species , in

nearly every country on th e globe .

Although there are many places in the United States where

they have occasional ly been found, yet it has been S tated in the

report s on our “ Mineral Resources that there are but two

states,Maine and North Carol ina, where systemat ic m ining

for precious stones has been carried on . Some attempts have


recently been made in Colorado , which have resul ted in

securing good specimens of topaz, phenakit e, and amazon

stone, Of cons iderable valIie ; in other instances , native gems

have been discovered, not as the fru it of special effort for

th is Obj ect , but incidental ly, or in connect ion with mining for

gold or other substances .

North Carol ina is probably the richest s tate in theU n ion for

i t s gem -minerals , many Of which are Of the firs t class . A few

S pecimens Of the diamond,Of small S ize but excellent qual ity,

have been discovered in s ix different counties in this state.

The corundum , though abundant in other localit ies in some Of

it s variet ies , affords here gems Of the firs t rank among precious

s tones , which have been successfully mined through the enter

prise Of Col . C. W. Jenks . Z ircon has appeared in several

places , i n small , transparent crystal s garnets , agates , malach ite,

Opal afford ing specimens for gems,spodumene, h iddenite , beryl

Of rich, deep green , Spinel , azurite , amethyst , rose- quartz, sag

en ite, rut ile, and aquamarine, all suitab le for ornamental stones ,

have been Obtained from North Carol ina. The collect ion sent

to the New O rleans Exposit ion comprised a beautiful variety

of white beryl, and another Of a rare shade Of yellow, variet ies

of quartz, fine specimens of h iddenite , emerald , spodumene ,

ruby,aquamarine, rutile , j asper, Venus - hair- stone , remarkable

specimens Of quartz inc losures , amazon - stone, Citron - t opaz, and

other kinds Of gem -minerals .

Californ ia Offers a cons iderable variety Of ornamental stones ,

including the diamond , corundum , Opal , garnet , various kinds

of the quartz Species, malach ite , azurite , selenite, and Obsidian .

A wonderfully clear specimen Of quartz with moss - l ike in clo

sures afforded a very rare and interest ing feature Of the min

eral department of th is stat e at the Exposit ion , on account

of the remarkably beaut iful effect it produced. The Suisun

OR I GIN ; P R OP E R TIE S , CLA S S IFI CA TI OM E TC.23

marble , or aragonite, consti tutes a very des irabl e material

for some kinds Of decorat ive work, and may rank with the

M exican onyx.

A rlificial Gems —There is a difference between an art ificialstone and an imitat ion ; in the latter, there is an entirely

different chemical composit ion , while an art ificial gem can be

manufactured from the same chemical substances , and with

the same phys ical properties as the natural specimen , and

c an be made even to excel th e genuine product ion in bril

lian cy and play Of colors . For instance , the corundum may

be obtained by a chemical pr'

ocess , with the same form Of

c rystals,and Of the same dens ity and hardness as the ruby and

the sapphire,while the art ificial spinel cannot be dis t inguished

from Nature ’s work, by the eye . The same is true Of other

precious stones more especially the compounds of s il ica .

Artificial rubies are secured by heating alum ina for a long

t ime in a plat inum vessel with borax,after which they present

t he same crystall ine form , hardness , and dichroism as th e real

gem . By repeated experiments , chemist s have succeeded in

making what were supposed to be artificial diamonds,but with

them , as with other precious stones originating in the labora

t ory, they are too minute for pract ical purposes . N O art ificial

g ems are known in commerce .

Imita tions have been secured with much greater facil ity

t han artificial Variet ies , and may be produced Of any requited

s ize . They are generally made Of fl int glass and lead, colored

by certain oxides as cobalt,manganese, nickel , copper, iron ,

chrome, and some other substances , the composit ion being

c alled stras s , from the name Of the inventor, or paste, when ce

the name “ paste j ewel s . ” Glas s j ewels are not a modern

invent ion,for as soon as the secret Of making glass was under

s tood, it was employed in imitat ing precious stones ; in the


t ime Of Pl iny, the.

principal gem -mineral s were frequently imi

tated the emerald , being one Of the easiest to counterfeit , was.

Oftenest selected for that purpose . Bracelet s o f black glass

found in the ruin s Of Chaldae a prove how early such imitat ions

were used for ornaments .

An improvement has been made in the quality Of the com

pos it ion used, by which a superior kind and a greater variety of

imitat ions are n ow Obtaified. Strass or paste requires the verybest glass mixed with quartz, boracic acid, caust ic potash ,arsen ic, and oxide Of lead, with different substances for color,as antimony and gol d for topaz, oxide of copper or chromium

fo r emerald, and the Oxide Of cobal t for sapphire . The imita

t ion Of opal requires several different const ituents , in wh ich

bon e ashes are added to various chemical substances .

Pearl s have been imitated with great success both in

ancient and modern t imes . The more ancient method was byfi ll ing glass beads with a pearly varnish , but thi s proces s was .

improved at a later period by a Frenchman , as the result Of

studying the hab it s Of a certain specie s Of fish, the Cyprin ns

albnrn ns. He Observed that the water in which this fi sh was

dressed, was fi lled with smal l S i lvery part icles wh ich were

precipitated to the bottom of the vessel, forming a sediment

Of a beaut ifu l pearly lustre , to wh ich he gave the name

essen ce cl’

orien t, or essence of pearl .

This sediment suggested the idea Of using i t for the produc

tion Of false pearls , a resul t secured by using glas s beads

covered inside with th is pearl “ essence ” and a solution of i s in

glass,and when dry fi lled with wax. By th is s imple process ,

imitat ions have been prepared for the market sometimes

pass ing for the genuine art ic le .

The fi sh from which the scales are taken is so smal l that i t

i s estimated four thousand are n ecessary to yield four ounces

of the essence.”



w i th crystal are , i t i s said ,‘sometimes sold for rubies . TO con

c eal a defect i n color, th e interior of the setting is painted or

e namelled, which improves the t int , and gives it a beauty and

in tens ity not inherent .

Tests.

—Pastes may be recognized by certain trials, when

properly appl ied. They will yield to the fi l e,and are

,there

fore,deficient in hardness they are l iable to tarnish in impure

air ; they are not dichroic, as some real gems are . But the

best tes t i s afforded by Specific gravity, which varies from that

Of real stones .

Some precious stones Of a certain species bear a strong

resemblance to others o f a different species , as is the case with

the pink topaz and the balaS - ruby ; hence, some convincing

proof other than S ight i s neces sary to dist inguish them . A

v ariety Of experiments may be needed for this purpose . Take_for an il lustrat ion any tran sparent , colorless gem , and test it s

hardness, t o see whether it be a diamond. Can it be scratched

by the sapph ire,the next in the scale ? If so , the stone is not

a diamond . Here is a colorless gem , which looks very much

l ike a diamond how may we know it i s not Hold the crystal

in a manner S O that the rays Of l igh t shall be refracted , and you

s ee a double image therefore , i t cannot be th is prec ious stone

which is s ingle - refracting,and presents only one image it may

b e a ruby, Spinel , or garnet .

Let us select another Specimen , so pellucid , and with so

lovely a play Of colors,that there seems to be no doubt as to it s

ident ity.Light is very decept ive ; therefore , we will apply a

pretty decis ive test,that of specific gravity, and we find it to be

the same as rock- crystal , while that Of the diamond is

But we have not done with it yet . What is the form Of

the crystal ? - It has s ix S ides , and is called hexahedral . N ow,

t he diamond never crystall izes in that form it s primitive crys

OR I GIN , P P OP EP TIE S , CLA S S IFI'

CA TI ON , E TC.27

tals are octahedral . The conclus ion i s that the specimen in

hand is rock - crystal .

We wish to ascertain whether a certain red stone is a ruby,

and find its Specific gravity les s than therefore , i t must ~ be

some other gem . I t is not clear that another p recious stone ,

Of a yellow color, may n ot be either a topaz or a j argoon , s ince

both are found in th is color, and both are electric by heat . We

submit it to the ordeal Of frict ion , and find it neither attracts

nor repel s these b its of paper ; hence , i t can be neither topaz

n or j argoon , and we must make another assay.

The art of heighten ing or changing the color of precious

stones i s not a modern discovery, but was understood and

practised by the ancien ts . Heat , as i s well known , wil l produce

this effect upon some gems and to th is agent i s due the fine

t int s Of the carnel ian . I t Often efface s dark spots and impuri

t ies , and equal izes their color, a resul t wh ich is secured either

by wrapping the stone in a Sponge for cremat ion , or by placing

it in a crucible, and subj ect ing it t o a h igh temperature .

The colors Of precious stones are modified by a more complex

process , which has been successfully accompl ished with agates ,chalcedony, and carnel ian , at Oberstein and Idar, in Germany.

Combina tion s .

—Precious stones Of Opposite or contrasting

qual it ies Should be placed near on e another,in order to pro

duce the most agreeable effect,as a step - cut beside a curved

surface , a gem with adamantine lustre bes ide on e with waxy

lustre, and S O of other contrasts . The diamond and the

j argoon should not be in proximity ; the former best har

m onizes with the pearl or the cat ’s - eye,the lat ter with the

turquoise .

Translucent gems, l ike the chrysoprase and the chalcedony,do n ot accord with chatoyant stones ; while those reflect ing

the prismatic hues best associate with stones of less “ fire ,


and thos e of on e color with those of two or more. Rubies har

mon iz e with moonstone ; diamonds and pearls add to the

beauty Of pale - colored variet ies , but contrast too strongly with

those of deep t ints . White sapphire, pearls , and j ade, appear

to best advantage in gold sett ing.

A n tiquity .

—Precious s tones were used for various purpo sesby the earl iest nat ion s Of ant iquity, as we learn from history

and t radit ion . They are frequently ment ioned by the sacred

writers as worn for personal ornaments , or employed for rel ig

ious purposes , or as figures o f rhetoric, to denote what is

superexcellent in the realm Of mind or matter. These al lu

s ions are not l imited to one author or period , but they occur

from Genesis to Revelat ions with more Orles s frequency, Often

constitut ing some Of the most beaut iful and striking metaphors

to be found in l iterature .

Job speaks Of the sapphire,onyx

,ruby, topaz, crystal , coral,

and pearls . He describes the process of mining, which was

marvellously like that Of the presen t day. Of on e seeking for

the precious substances found in the earth , i t is said : “Heputteth forth h is hand upon th e rocks ; he overturneth the

mountain s by their root s ; h e cutteth out rivers among the

rocks ; and his eye seeth every precious thing .

”

Though the Israel ites extensively used these costly treas

ures for both secular and sacred ornaments, they were equalled,if not surpassed

,in these luxuries by their n eighbors , the

Phoenicians,j udging from the pract ice Of the Tyrian princes,

who,according to the bibl ical account , displayed upon their

persons no less than nine different species Of gems .

The Phoenicians carried on a trade in these commodit ies ,

and are said to have introduced them into Egypt and Greece .

If, as is supposed , they vis ited the Western Con t inent , may

they n o t have imported them into Mexico and Peru, where

OR I GI IV, P R OP E R TIE S , CLA S S IFI CA TI ON ; E TC.29

p recious stones were at a very early period used for S imilar

purposes,if their tradit ions have any foundation in fact .

There is evidence that both these nat ions understood the art

Of gem - engraving. Mexican seal s and rings were set with pre

c ions s tones engraved with the constel lat ion of Pisces . The

quest ion arises , Where did they Obtain their knowledge Of Chal

decan astronomy ? I t has been said that these nat ions had no

knowledge Of the diamond but , according to one Of their tradi

t ions , a Mex ican king, who was a poet , by the way, compared

the sun to a “ diamond, with a thousand facets ,” showing that

h e n o t only had a knowledge Of this gem , but was al so familiar

with the modern art Of cutt ing it . Their armor was j ewelled

in a manner S im ilar to that Of the knights of the Middle Ages ,showing the Mexicans ant icipated th is feudal custom by many

c enturies .

Some antiquaries are of the opinion that the striking analogy

between the j ewel s worn by these western nations and the

Hebrews Of Solomon ’s t ime points to the same origin for these

races . With al l of them,the emblems Of sovereignty were the

same . Their eccles iast ical and royal vestments were s imilar,

both being covered with precious stones ; the ir regalia were

a l ike , embracing crown , bracelets, sceptre , sword , and other

insignia. This parallel may be drawn between other nations,

with s im ilar results therefore,i t does not afford very decis ive

proofs Of ident ity Of race . The causes Of striking resemblances

between the customs of different nations in the use Of orna

ments undoubtedly have their origin in the universal l ove of

the beaut iful , and the des ire to Obtain what i s most rare and

costly for this Obj ect. There appears to be a pretty nearly

uniform standard of taste as to the kind they are generally for

the head , ears , neck , arms , and fingers .

Precious stOn es w e re in g e n e ral u se inHom e r’

s (in a t it


i s an unaccountable fact that he seldom alludes to them,and

only incidentally ; while earl ier and contemporary writers fre

quently mention them , as may be learned from the class ic

authors , from the Scriptures (already referred to) , and from the

traditions and l iterature of India, found in the great epi cs , the

Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, part s of which were written ,

i t i s claimed,nearly four thousand years ago .

Very Old Egyptian mummies have been found , decorated

with crowns , necklaces , armlets , ear and finger rings , embel

lished with pearl s and precious stones . Specimens o f ancient

gems,engraved with h ieroglyphics , are to be seen in th e

Louvre , Paris . I t has been thought that th e interiors o f the

pyramids were once decorated with j ewelled ornaments i t was

probably On the tombs of eminent persons buried in these

structures , a common pract ice in oriental countries .

Babylon has been represented as abounding in al l manner

of precious stones and Damascus , in eastern metaphor, was a

pearl encircled with emeralds,wh ich proves the early use Of

gems for rhetorical figures , at least , and , by implication , for

personal ornament . Some Of the ancient j ewels now contained

in the Brit ish Museum,found among the ruins Of N ineveh ,

bear date B C. 700, and others are referred to a later period , ln

cluding a bracelet inscribed with the name Of N imrod, B C. 500.

CHAPTER II .

P R ICES , T R ADE , P AWN S , S U M PTU A R Y LAWS , R OBBER IES , A N D S IZE .

P rices and Traa’e.

—The commercial value of prec ious

stones varies,l ike some other marketable commodities , accord

ing to the changes Of fash ion , and, l ike gold , they have risen

and fallen in price by financ ial Operat ions , by polit ical changes ,

and by other advent it ious cons iderat ions , but they have at al l

t imes const ituted an important art ic le Of trade. I t is s tated

that the price of diamonds fell fifty per cent when the interest

o n the debt Of Brazil , due to England , was paid in that gem ,

and that in consequence Of the pol it ical revo lut ions in Europe

during 1848 and 1849, the diamond market received another

check, which greatly affected the ir prices . N O article of com

merce was so sens it ive to the instabil ity of th e market conso

quent upon the d iscovery Of the New World,as prec ious stones

and their importation into Europe in immense quantities caused

a pan ic among dealers,who endeavored to arrest th is influx by

represent ing them inferior to those brought from the East .

As an illustrat ion Of the fluctuat ing prices Of gems , i t is

said that a cameo,With the portrait Of Augustus and Livia,

belonging to the Herz col lect ion,which cost four thousand

dollars , was sold, forty years later, for one hundred and fiftydollars.

I t i s probable that precious stones became an art icle of

traffi c at an early period of human history , even in the very

infancy Of nat ions , s ince they have always been high ly valued

31


a s ornaments by all races . Emeralds were m ined In Egypt fif

t een hundred years before the present era ; Palmyra, in the

reign Of Solomon , five hundred years later,was noted for it s

t rade in gems , gold, and o ther valuable merchand ise .

Before the discovery Of the Western Cont inent , India, with

some adj acent regions , was the great emporium for gems .

Ceylon and Pegu yielded then , as they do at the present day,the largest supply Of colored stones Of the first clas s

.They

were a monopoly of the Kandy . rulers,previous to the Engl ish

c ontrol Of the island , but now all restrict ions are removed and

n o spec ial grant to work the mines i s necessary. The Malays ,w ho are the principal dealers , cut and pol ish the gems for the

Indian market , where they find eager purchasers in the nat ive

p rinces . The annual revenue from these mines i s est imated at

several thousand pounds. Brazi l became a rival to India in

t he t rade several centuries ago, before its separat ion from the

«c ontro l of Portugal , in 1822 , and Lisbon , in consequence Of her

rich western possess ions , led the world in the traffic in precious

s tones , which became a monopoly of th e crown .

The relat ive value Of fi rst clas s gems has varied from time‘t o time according to circumstances contro l l ing the market ."Stat ist ic s showing the comparat ive prices of th e best known

g ems , S elected from King, present the fol lowing : A perfect

ruby exceeding on e carat is worth more than a diamond of

e qual weight , and an emerald is worth four t imes as much ,.a nd, though the diamond has only doubled its value within a

generat ion , th e price Of the sapphire has increased fourfold .

‘

The turquoise , l ike the diamond , increases it s value in propor

t ion to its s ize , while the chrysolite, amethyst , j ac inth , and

many other gems have no fixed price .

’le

“The ruby to -day,”says M r. Kun z , “ is worth five and even more than five

times as much asthe diamon d , whereas the price Of the emerald is rarely affectedby the changes Of fashion .

”



able treasures in the fruitless attempts to regain a los t throne,

Henry VII I . , James I . , and James I I . , al l used the same

method to fill'

their coffers ; the latter carried out Of the

kingdom many Of the crown jewels as well as his personal

ornaments , which were sold to various purchasers to Obtain

means Of support during his exile .

These instances of royal poverty do not occur at the presen t

day, and pawns Of crown j ewels are n o t in vogue,but vast

sums are raised on diamonds and other precious stones byneedy persons Of both sexes among the high and the low

classes Of society. The Mont - de - Pie’

té, establ ished in Paris in

1777 , an inst itut ion for the transaction Of busines s of th is

kind , i s said to have had in custody forty casks o f gold watches

at a t ime, which had been given as security for borrowed money.

When the pol it ical troubles Of the country suddenly reduced

people Of rank and wealth to beggary, the Mont - de -Piété was

l iterally encumbered with valuable jewels which had been

pawned by their unfortunate owners .

S arnptnary Laws.

—Prohibitory laws against extravagancein the use of personal o rnaments have been enacted , at on e

t ime or another, in nearly every c ivil ized country, both anc ient

and modern ; they were passed in Greece ; they were promul

gated in Rome , where the safety and even the existence Of the

Empire was imperilled by the luxurious habits of her c it izens .

Caesar i ssued an edict forbidding the use Of pearls for personal

decorat ion except by individual s Of a certain rank , and these

only on days o f publ ic ceremony. His example was followed by

some Of his successors , but means were found to evade the laws ,and the lOve Of extravagance in the use Of gems was st imulated ,rather than checked

,by these imperial decrees . The Emperor

Leo , in the fifth c entury, i s sued the las t proh ibit ion against

the excess ive use Of personal decorat ion by Roman cit izens in

P R I CES , TR ADE , P A WN S , E TC. 35

the form Of j ewelry. Pearls , emeralds , and hyacinths were not

allowed for baldricks and the trappings Of horses , and men were

forbidden to embell ish the Clasps Of their tun ic s or mantles

with precious stones Of any k ind.

After the fal l Of the Roman Empire , the trade in gems

became obsolete unt i l i t was revived at the Renaissance . The

early Christ ian writers condemned the extravagant use Of

j ewels,and this sent iment has been cherished by some

rel igious sects and individual s ever s in ce. Anathemas and

proh ibit ions against excessive q ury have by no means been

confined to the church ; secular writers have fulminated the

most scath ing sat ire against th is human weakness , displayed by

both sexes . Laws were at o n e t ime enacted in Florence

prohibit ing women from wearing j ewel s in publ ic , and other

instances are on record showing the Opin ions of lawmakers in

regard to the influence -Of extravagance in dress upon the

publ ic interests of states .

The discovery and conquest of a new continent had a

tendency to intensify the innate pass ion for ornament , through

out Europe .

In France this propensity received a temporary check in

consequence Of the sumptuary laws enacted during the reign Of

Charles IX . , but they were ignored by the nobles , who carried

their luxurious habits to a ruinous excess . The cos t Of a

court dres s was almost fabulous ; nearly every art icle was

loaded with pearl s and precious stones . Though st ill more

stringent regulat ions were imposed by Louis XI I I . and Louis

XIV. , yet never before had extravagance been carried to su'

ch

a height as during th is period , and the use Of precious stones

exceeded all former examples in the h istory Of that country,

until it received a check at the Revolution .

The l iberal use of costly j ewels has not been confined to the


laity, but has characterized the clergy as well . This tendency

among the eccles iast ics during the Norman period in England

was so conspicuous in the sacerdotal paraphernal ia that it was

deemed necessary to impose legal restraint s upon i t . Priestly

vestments were at that t ime almost l iterally covered withcostly gems . Thomas a Becket was a notorious example Of

th is kind Of clerical extravagance. The drinking cup of th is

ambitious priest , which has come down as a rel ic of mediaeval

t imes , i s made Of S ilver and ivory studded with pearl s and

precious stones . The high prelates generally did not fall below

him in their fondness for personal ornaments,as is proved by

the embroidered robes , covered with gold and gems , in wh ich

they were entombed . Chaucer and other poets have made the

luxury of con temporary ecc les iast ics a subj ect of keen sat ire

and bold denunciat ion remarkable for those t im es .

R oOOeries.

—The intrin sic value of precious stones , andthe comparat ive facil ity with which they may be concealed or

carried Off,afford strong incent ives for attempted robberies ,

which have in several notabl e instances been succes sful .

N ot even the sanct ity and venerat ion attached to shrines ,

temples,and churche s

,have always preserved them from

being despoiled Of their immense wealth in these costly

o fferings .

I n the reign Of Edward I . ,Westmin ster Abbey, in which the

royal j ewels were depos ited,was robbed of these treasures ,

though fortunately a large part Of them were recovered . A

bold but unsuccessful attempt was made by Blood , during the

reign of Charles I I . , to carry Off the regal ia, which were kept

in the Tower Of London ; and Queen Anne, consort Of James I . ,

was robbed Of her personal j ewels , valued at on e hundred and

eighty thousand dollars , of which n o trace was ever dis

covered .

P R I CES , TR ADE , P A WN S , E TC. 37

The church Of St . Denis, in which were depos ited eccle

siastical o rn aments of immense value, was pil laged during the

c ivil s trife in France, the last Of the S ixteenth century,and

again in the great Revolut ion of the e ighteenth century.

Mlle.Mars

,the celebrated actress , was robbed in Paris ,

in 1827 , of gems which , including their mount ings, were

est imated at n inety- S ix thousand francs , equal to nineteen

thousand two hundred dollars , though . the stones , which had

been taken from their sett ings , were recovered. The Prin

cess of Santa Croce , widow Of an I tal ian prince, while res iding

in Paris,l ost a number of valuable diamonds, which were

s tolen by profess ional th ieves at the instigat ion Of her lady

companion and the Marquis Of Loys . The part ies , in th is

instance , were detected and punished, a retribut ion the robbers

escaped who appropriat ed the j ewels Of th e Princess Of Orange ,at Brussel s , abo ut the same t ime . In 1860, a robbery was

committed at the Galleria del la Gemma, F lorence, when many

valuable j ewel s were lost , including several engraved diamonds

and rings of the C inque - cento period .

The mos t notorious robbery Of j ewel s that has occurred in

modern t imes was the mysterious and astounding burglary

committed at the Garde Meuble , Paris , in 1792, when a large

collect ion of valuabl e gems and j ewels , constitut ing the regal ia

Of France , depos ited in a large chamber of the Treasury, cal led

the Garde Meuble, which was always strictly guarded, were

carried Off by some person or person s, who got access to the

Treasury by cl imbing the colonnade Of the Place Louis XV. ,

and succeeded in e scaping with the plunder. I t had been the

custom , before the Revolution , to exhibit these j ewel s occas ion

al ly to the populace, but af ter that event i t was deemed pru

dent to close the depos it and affix seals to the cases holding

them , a circumstance which rendered the affair Of the robbery


st ill more bewildering. A person confessed, S everal years

after, that he had been on e Of the party concerned in the

crime ; but h is communication was never made publ ic, a c ircum

stance which awakened the suspicion in the community that

individuals Of high rank were implicated in the theft . The

most notable j ewel s stol en were three crowns,the sceptre and

o ther emblems used in the ceremony Of coronat ion,the golden

S hrine bequeathed by Cardinal Richel ieu to Louis XI I I . , vases

cut in agate, amethyst , and rock - crystal,the famous “ golden

rose,” weighing on e hundred and s ix marks, the Sancy and

Regent diamonds , a rare blue diamond , the magnificent Opal

called the “ Burn ing Of Troy,” a splendid brill iant afterwards

recovered and worn f'

by Napoleon I . at the battle of Waterloo,

where it i s supposed to have been lost , and a very large number

Of other gems Of great value . Some o f th is plunder was restored

by the robbers through fear of detection , by hiding the art icles

and then giv ing information where they were concealed . In

th is way,the Regent, the agate vase, and some others were

recovered but the larger part were never regained .

Subsequent robberies Of the French j ewels have been

attempted ; on e in 1804, when the celebrated“ Cup Of P tol

emy,”or

“Vase of St . Denis ,” capable Of holding more than

a pint , and enriched with gold and gems , was taken from the

Musée, at Paris , and, though recovered , i t was first despoiled of

i ts costly ornaments ; and another in 1848, during the transfer

Of the crown j ewels to the Treasury, when two pendeloques

Of diamonds , and a rare hat ornament Of brill iants , were stolen .

S iz e —The minutenes s Of prec ious stones compared witho ther articles Of great value, in stead Of being a defect , as

m ight seem at first thought , i s really on e Of their merits , in

c ertain respects , s ince they are more easily and secretly trans

ferred, in case of emergency, from one place to another. A n

P R I CE S , TR ADE , P A WN S , E TC. 39

instance Of th is kind happened when the Prince Palatine,

a fter the battle Of Prague , in 1620, succeeded in carrying off

his j ewels,valued at a great price, with the proceeds o f which

h e was enabled to defray h is expenses during his exile In

Holland ; a parallel example is afforded in the history OfJames I I . of England.

When a gem is spoken Of as large or '

Small, i t i s , Of course, in

reference to th e s ize Of others o f the same species , and , in th is

sense, a precious stone may be cal led giganti c when of an un

precedented weight ; there are a number Of this kind on record .

Among diamonds there are several Of th is class , as may be seen

in the “ Table on the Size Of Celebrated Diamonds of

sapphires a very large specimen, if not the largest, weigh s on e

hundred and thirty- two and on e - s ixteenth carats , and is called

t he Ruspol i, th e name of o n e of it s owners , also th e Wooden

spoon- seller, from the occupation Of it s d iscoverer, in Bengal .

I t was bought by a Paris ian j eweller for thirty - four thousand

dollars, and is n ow in the Museum of Mineralogy, Paris . The

Hope ” pearl , forming a pendant in the imperial crown o f

G reat Britain , weighs three ounces , or three hundred and sixty

carats , and is considered the largest known , and a cat’s - eye,

c al led also the “ Hope , measures on e and a half inches in

diameter.

The largest ruby known in Europe,presented t o Catherine

I I . , Empress Of Russia, by Gustavus I I I . , King Of Sweden ,

when on a vis it to her court,in 1777, i s Of the s ize Of a hen ’s

egg and Of fine t int. The largest seen i n India by Tavern ier

did n o t exceed fifty carats,and the largest in the French

regal ia i s said to weigh less than n ine carats . The Devonshire

emerald from Bogota, South America, measures two inches in

length and weighs nearly n ine ounces ; on e owned by DuleepS ingh is st il l larger, and a crystal from North Carol ina has a


length Of eight and on e-half inches. Austria claim s an emer

ald Of two thousand carat s weight, an Opal Of seventeen ounces ,and an onyx measuring nine Inches in diameter. Nearly everymuseum comprises specimens Of gem -mineral s remarkable for

their'

immense proportions , and some collections include

engraved gems Of gigantic S ize ; in this l is t are found the“ Cameo Of the Vatican ,

” on a stone measuring sixteen in ches.

by twelve ; the “ Apotheos is Of Augustu s,”

or

'

“ Le Grand

Cameo,” in th e French cabinet , on a stone of th irt een inches

by eleven , and the cameo of Vienna, represen t ing the Corona~

t ion Of Augustus,

” cut in a sardonyx Of n ine inches by eight .

Not unfrequently various kinds Of ves sels Of considerable mag

n itude are carved from a s ingle gem , the quartz variet ies

affording some Of the mos t remarkable for S ize .


42

P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

S trozzi, Ludovisi, Antonell i , Castellani , Barbarin i, Alban i ,O descalchi , and th e Collegio Romano , o f I taly ; those of th e

Dukes Of Luynes and Blacas, Count de Portales , the Marquis

de Dre‘

e, M . Fould, Baron Roger, Of Fran ce ; and the Devon

shire, Northumberland, Marlborough , Townley,Knight

,

Rhoades, Maskelyne, and Townshend, of England. Several

o ther col lections have been more or less celebrated , as the

P on iatowsky, Herz , Mertens - Schaffhausen , and Pulsky. Mr.

M askelyne ’s col lection is said to excel in exquis ite specimens

O f the glypt ic art, as well as in the beauty Of the stones them

selves .

Collection s in Great Brita in .

—N O country in Europe , prob

ably, i s richer in ant ique gems than England . The Brit ish

Museum contains specimens of the finest and rarest types Of

e ngravmg on precious stones to be found anywhere , while some

Of the j ewels comprised in th is vast storehouse are of great

age, dating from seven hundred years before the Christ ian era ;

but by far the greater number Of these monuments Of art ,

says King, are to be found in the cabinets of noble and

wealthy amateurs .

The Museum includes the Blacas collect ion , which cost two

h undred and forty thousand dollars ; the Rhoades ; th e cho i

c est spec imens Of the Castellani and bequest s from Messrs .

T ownley, Knight, and Cracherode, including In all about five

h undred engraved gems .

Some Of the Townley specimens , in th e opinion Of th is

w riter, are unsurpassed by any from the most celebrated collec

t ions Of Europe. They comprise many valuable‘

Gnostic and

Christ ian engravings,and some Of the largest and most impor

tant antique pastes known . Th is inst itut ion affords some fine

c amci, including the head Of Augustus , one of the largest Of

the kind, though the greater part Of the engravings are intagl i,

COLLE CTI ON S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 43

accompanied by impressions in plaster, a great ass istance in

the s tudy of th is kin d of work. Etruscan , Greek, Roman ,

mediaeval , and modern art are all represented ; the Etruscan

antiques are in the form of scarabs , th e Greek and Roman

represent mythological subj ects , while mis cellaneous figures

constitute the remainder. The Babylon ian cylinders and Per

s ian and Indian seal s form an extens ive and complete series Of

this class Of engraved gems .

A few Of the most celebrated engravings are Jul ius Caesar,

o n sard,by Dioscorides ; Livia , on amethyst ; Perseus , On sard ;

Bacchus , on red j asper ; a warriOr and a dying Amazon , on

amethyst ; Cupid and Psyche , o n sard ; and a laughing fawn ,

o n j acinth . A scarab o n carbuncle which can hardly be distin ~

guished from ruby is pronounced especially fine, but the Flora

i s considered by King, who is a skil led conno i sseur in these

matters , an imitat ion .

The South Kensington Museum comprises the Townshend

and the Devonsh ire collect ions , both including valuable speci

mens Of precious stones , and celebrated works Of the carver’s

skill . Among the most remarkable Of these Obj ects Of art

are a cup made of oriental sardonyx Of great beauty, inscribed

with the date 1567 , and the famous Cell in i Ewer, once belong

ing to the French crown j ewel s . Th is p itcher, ten and o n e

half in ches in height , i s made of two convex pieces o f sardonyx,w ith a foot of the same material , and a handle, stem , and

spout Of gold , embel l i shed with enamel , rub ies , and diamonds .

This collection at South Kens ington contains al so a second

ewer cut in crystal,a Byzantine work Of the ninth or tenth

century ; the largest known pearl , said to weigh three ounces ,and set as a pendant j ewel

,besides other pearl s of different

c olors and shapes ; a large aquamarine , mounted in the h ilt o f

a Sword formerly Owned by M urat ; a cat’s - eye Obtained from


the King Of Kandy, and supposed to be the largest known ,and numerous agates bearing natural representat ion s Of human

features , and figures Of different animals .

The Townshend col lection , compris ing gems Of nearly everyspecies and every variety of hueS, many of which formerly be

longed to the Hope cabinet , was bequeathed to th is museum by

Rev. C . H . Townshend, in 1869. I t embraces one hundred and

fifty- four specimens , nearly all mounted in gold, and forty - on e

en graved gems Of,both antique and modern workmanship .

These comprise seventeen opal s Of d ifferent variet ies,twelve

sapph ires Of various col ors , from violet to white , eight dia

monds , including the rare black diamond cut as a bril l iant,and others Of honey yellow , pale green , gray, indigo , and c inna

mon , rubies , emeralds , topazes , chrysoberyls, and specimens Of

a large number Of other gem -mineral s , affording a wide range

of colors .

The Devonsh ire collect ion numbers five hundred and

twenty - eight examples , including some Of th e finest ant iques

both in camci and intagl i . I t was made by the third Duke Of

Devonshire , during the first half o f the last century, and has

been augmented to it s present S ize by his successors . In the

l is t Of these gems were numbered a fine amethyst engraved

with the figure Of S eipor I . and an inscript ion in the Pehlevi

language, which now forms the centre ornament in the comb Of

the famous Devonshire parure ; a Theseus , on sard ; a Hercules ,

on green j asper ; a muse tun ing her lyre, on black j asper ; Judg

ment of Paris , on Onyx ; a Marcus Aurel ius , a head Of Socrates ,and one of Augustus .

The Marlborough collect ion i s said to comprise the mos t

extraordinary sardonyx known, o n account of the color of its

layers, which are purple , Opaque white, and opaque black ,

affording a solitary instance Of such a combinat ion . The


L iverpool Museum contains a great variety Of corals,inc luding

the Gorgonia or red coral used in j ewelry, and Edinburgh

has a collect ion Of gems , many Of them possess ing an historical

renown .

Fren ck Collection s.—Many Of the finest gems . of antiquity

have found their way to France through different channels ;some by the acquis it ions Of her sovereigns , some by travel lers

encouraged by royal patronage,while others were the gifts of

foreign princes or the spoils Of war. Saint Louis and other

Crusaders brought a large number of precious stones from the

East ; Tavernier, the most celebr'

ated traveller Of his t ime ,

added more from the same source, many centuries later ;

while Charles V. and his brother, th e Duke de Berri, Francis

I . ,

-Henry I I . , and Catherine de Medici , were al l collectors and

owners Of vast stores Of these costly treasures .

Charles IX. i s said to be the first to arrange these accumu

lated gems in on e col l ect ion , which was, however, dispersed

during the publ ic disturbances of his t ime, but re- establ ished

by Henry IV. ,who added others , and was planning to enhance

its value stil l further,when his assass ination prevented the

accomplishment of his purpose ; i t was left to Louis XIV.

to complete the work .

The Duke of Orleans , an enthus iast ic collector, bequeathed

his cabinet to the Royal Treasury, which was depos ited in the

Louvre and afterwards removed to the Bibliotheque Royale .

The king purchased ant iques from different countries of the

globe , thus increasing th e number gradually unti l i t had

assumed cons iderable proport ion s,and then removed the

collect ion to his favorite palace,at Versailles . Other addit ions

c ont inued to be made, until the number of precious stones

belonging to the crown was exceedingly large .

The intagl i are dist inguished for the beauty Of the stones


and the variety Of the subj ects . A few Of the mos t conspicuous

are the S ignet Of Michael Angelo ; the“Apotheos is OfAugustus ” ;

the Agate o f Sainte Chapell e , brought to France by Baldwin I I .

in 1244 ; the Apotheos is Of Germanicus ,” Obtained at Constant i

n ople and kept in the convent at Tours unt il presented to Loui s

XIV. ,in 1684 ; the Jupiter of th e Cathedral of Chartres

,and

the Vase of Ptolemy or St . Denis .

The Louvre at present contains a large col lection Of gem s ,including the state or crown j ewels , and n umerous cups in

rock- crystal , agate , onyx, and j asper.

I n the Hotel de Cluny are seen many interest in g rel ics Of

former ages : a set Of chessmen in rock - crystal,formerly kept

in the Garde Meuble, said to have been given to St . Louis by

the Old Man of the Mountains ” ; a bound volume embell ished

with precious stones, and the gold crowns , made in the seventh

century, found near Tol edo , in 1859.

The collection Of Mlle . Mars was considered the rich

est owned by a private individual at that t ime . I t com

prised a very large number of bril liants and rose diamonds ,

pearl s,topazes

,emeralds, rubies , turquoises, coral s , and camei.

Many o f th e fin est ' private col lect ions are now found in Paris ,

including those Of M . Turk , Baron Roger, the Duke de Luynes ,

and th e Blacas.The Fouid cab inet was - sold in 1860, in

consequence of the death Of the proprietor.

I talian Collections.

—Lorenzo de Medici laid the founda

t ion Of th e Florence collection in h is cabinet of engraved

gems,subsequently augmented by Cosmo , and other members

Of the family,who were all l iberal patrons Of art . I t is known

as the Florence Cabinet Of Gems , and embraces about three

thousand specimens,including more than one thousand intagl i

and one hundred and eighty camei cons idered of superior excel

lence.The col lect ion contains more than four hundred d ifferent

COLLE CTI ON S OF P R E CI OUS S TON ES . 47

Obj ects cut in precious s tones , including rock- crystal,lapis

lazul i,and others Of a second class , al l enriched with gems .

Some of these article s are remarkable for their beauty and

excellence of workmanship , compris ing a casket representing:

twenty - four scenes from the l ife Of Christ , made for Pope

Clement VI I I . , by Bell i Vicenza, and regarded the rarest work

in the collect ion a vase attributed to Cell in i a has- rel ief in gold

and j asper ; a cup ornamented with pearls, representing a class i

cal scene, by Bologna ; a bas - rel ief in gold and gems in imitation

Of the Piazza della Signoria, on e Of the principal squares in

Florence ; besides numerous vases'

, cups , bowls , columns , and

other Obj ects , in different kinds of prec ious stones .

The intagl i and camei represent a variety Of subj ect s, and

afford excel lent studies in ant ique art ; \ some Of the mos t

remarkable are the “Antoninus Pius,Of extraordinary S ize the

“ Judgment Of Paris ,’ a favorite subj ect for engraving ; and

“Hercules and Hebe .

” The ornamental tables in thi s co l lect ion

are wonderful ly beautiful and rich in gem - decorat ion,notably

those Of Pers ian lapis - lazul i . One of the number required thelabor Of fourteen years to make it

,and is valued at on e hundred

and fifty thousand dollars . Others , made of j asper, and different

costly material s , are al l embellished with precious stones and

pearl s , represent ing mosaics , birds , fol iage , flowers , V ines, grapes ,and shel l s .

Tlie Vatican contains a great number and variety Of

precious s tones , accumulated from time to t ime by chanceacquisitions . Viscont i made a catalogue Of th is extens ive

cabinet , which fi l l ed two folio volumes , but unfortunately it waslos t before publicat ion ; The royal palace Of Capodimont e ,Naples , comprises a large collect ion of gems , whil e the palaceat Caserta , once a favorite resort Of the royal family, has been

nearly despoiled of it s works of art,though a few interest ing


specimen s remain to attract the attent ion of the visitor. The

cabinet at Naples , numbe ring between three and four hundred

intagli,and two and three hundred camei, ranks second in

. Italy, the on e at F lorence being the first . I t comprises the

- famous Farnese Vase, cut from one piece Of sardonyx, and cost

one thousand ducats .

Among the private collect ions are the Strozzi at Rome ,

which contain s a Hercules , a Medusa, an IEsculapius, and

a Germanicus , all works of merit as engraved gems , but

m any of the best product ions of th is cabinet have been trans

f erred to the Blacas. The Ludov isi collect ion, belonging to

Prince di Piombino, numbers many specimens Of great value

b oth ant ique and of the Cinque - cento period ; it s chef- d’

oeuvre‘

is the Demosthenes Of Dioscorides .

The collect ion Of ant iques exhibited by Sig. Alessandro

C astellani, of Rome, at the Philadelphia Expos it ion , comprised"

v arious kinds of j ewel s both for personal ornaments and funeral

rites , including engraved ring- stones used by the early Christians ,

a ll found among ancient remains , mostly in Italy. Among these

rel ic s were two amulet s made of amber in the form Of rams’

h eads,bearing date B . C. 700 ; a necklace Of eleven amber

c yl inders set in gold , with six pendant s in the shape Of anchors ;

a necklace Of the Roman imperial epoch , composed Of sapphires ,

a methyst s , and plasmas combined with' b lue glass cyl inders and

groups Of leaves,Assyrian cyl inders, Phoen ician , Etruscan , and

G reek scarabs , and amulets and rings Of different kinds Of

engraved precious stones . Two j ewel s in this collection

posses s an historical in terest , one Of the number being a large

ring made Of gold, set with a garnet mounted on a pivot , and

engraved with the portrait Of A ssander, King o f Bosporus,

w h ich i s cons idered on e of the most remarkable Of the kind

known,and a second ring with red rock- crystal bearing an



1757 , include ant ique and modern pastes , but the forgeries,says King, which have been added to the genuine works , have

brought the whole group into discredit. The Univers ity Of

Berl in contains some fine gems .

TneHerz Collection i s a miscellaneous assemblage Of precious stones gathered in imitat ion of the S tosch cabinet , and

embraces every variety of subj ect without regard to the

material or the excellence of workmansh ip . More than half

Of th is “ heterogeneous store ” consists Of pastes .

Tfie Dresden Collection —This “ Historical Museum enu

merates among its treasures a very extens ive miscellaneous

accumulat ion Of art icles in prec ious stones,which are the

progeny Of a period extend ing from the close Of the s ixteenth

to the beginning Of the e ighteenth centuries . I t was begun in

the reign of Duke George , about 1539, but the Elector

Augustus , 1553—1586, was the fi rst to depos it this accumulatingwealth Of art treasures in the apartments Of the Saxon royal

palace called the Green Vaults . ’ These rooms , e ight in

number,preserve on e Of the most unique collect ions of precious

th ings found in Europe. The gems are numerous , and many of

them are valuable for their h istorical reputat ion as wel l as

intrinsic worth but the lavish use Of them to decorate ordinaryand ignoble Obj ects , i s Open to critic ism it is degrading to art

and Offens ive to a cult ivated taste .

These ornamented th ings comprise m il itary weapons and

defensive armor belonging to the Saxon kings , cups , vases ,

goblets,snuff-boxes , Spoons , kn ives , cane -heads , drinking-horns ,

fruits,musicians

,harlequins

,dancers, peddlers , dwarfs , animals ,

and various other Ob j ects,all more or less decorated with

precious stones and pearl s .

From this bewildering mass , one can select specimens

which afford interesting and curious stud ies il lustrat ing the

COLLE CTI ON S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

“ S I

skill, ingenuity, and pat ien ce of the art ist , and sometimes

beauty in design.Here is seen a fire -place decorated with

pearl s and different species of prec ious stones ; a monumentconstructed of corals , enamels, and gems ; a grotto made of

misshapen pearls ; an oak cabinet covered with amber mosaicsportraits Of the popes and emperors cut in gems ; a mirror of

rock- crystal a bal l twenty- two and on e-half inches in cir

cumferen ce, Of the same kind Of stone , and a crystal beer-po t

embell ished with j ewels and camei, valued at five thousand

dol lars.Court - dresses

,royal t rinkets , orders , decorat ions ,

chains , badges or favors , all loaded with gems , Show the

barbaric Splendor Of the Saxon court .

This museum contains a large onyx, measuring S ix and two

th irds inches by four and on e - fourth , set in a gold crown ,

adorned with emeralds,diamonds

,and pearls . On e Of the pro

duction s of Dinglinger, j ewel ler to Augustus the Strong, whose

Skill won for him the t itle Of th e German Cell in i,” represen t s

the Mogul Emperor Of India, seated on his Peacock Throne,”

surrounded by numerous court iers and ambassadors paying

homage to the great potentate , al l executed in gold , en amel ,

and precious stones . This royal toy cost the artist e ight years

Of labor, and the prince for whom it was made fifty- eight thou

sand four hundred and eighty-fiv e thalers , or more than forty

thousand dol lars . There are more than four hundred different

Objects made Of ivory, embell ished with gems and enamel , and

two hundred portraits engraved on gems . The diamonds are

numerous, on e ornamen t alone, for a lady’s hair

,comprises S ix

hundred and S ixty- two Of these gems .

Vien na Collection . I t is said the development Of the lapi

dary’

s art can be traced in this collection , from the fifteenth

century to the present t ime. I t embraces a large number of

j ewels Of priceless value, including nine hundred and forty- nine


intagl i and two hundred and S ixty - two camei ; among them is

the Triumph Of Germanicus,” known as the “ German Augus

tea. The most remarkable historical rel ics are the crown ,

’le

sceptre, imperial globe, sword , and coronation robe of Charle

magne , al l profusely decorated with gems ; the ins ignia Of the

Holy Roman Empire ; th e famous salt- cellar Of Benvenuto Cel

l in i, made for Francis L , King of France ; a bouquet Of gems,designed for Maria Theresa ; a cameo, represent ing the A pothe

osis Of Augustus , compris ing twenty figures ; an onyx, nine

inches in diameter, found in Jerusalem , by a Crusader, andsold

to the Emperor Rudolph I I . for twelve thousand ducat s ; an

agate vase , measuring twenty- nine and one -half inches in diame

ter,the bridal gift presented to Mary Of Burgundy ; a goblet , in

crystal,covered with prec ious stones , captured from Charles

the Bold at the battle of Grandson ; and a magnificent opal ,

weighing eighteen ounces,Obtained from the mines Of Hungary.

The M ertens- S cnafi/zan sen collection was made by Madame

M erten S - Schaffhausen,Of Bonn , during the present century,

from various sources,and i s cons idered on e of the best private

cabinets Of gems ever gathered . I t numbered on e thousand

S ix hundred and twenty- S ix genuine stones , and more than two

hundred pastes,and included the col lect ion Of Praun o f

Nuremberg,made in the S ixteenth century, which cons isted

mostly Of intagl i, n early al l antiques . Half Of these engravings

are on sard,th e remainder on chalcedony, topaz, amethyst ,

agate,onyx

,and obsidian . The col lect ion was sold in 1859,

and new access ions were made , compris ing some specimens

from the Herz.

Tfie P on iatowsky Collection . Mr. King says , in all the

cab inets Of Europe taken together, there are not , certainly, one

9" A sword and Sceptre in the M useum of the Louvre, Paris, is said to havebelonged to this celebrated hero .

COLLE CTI ON S OP P R E CI OUS S TON ES . 53

hundred gems inscribed with the real names Of the artists who

engraved them . Many antiques—S O called —have the namesOf ancient engravers added by a modern hand , with the V iew of

enhancing their value . Probably the greates t forgerles\

Of

prec ious stones ever known were the Pon iatowsky gems , al l

Of which bear the name Of some celebrated artis t of ant iquity

Pyrgo teles, Dioscorides , Solo n , and others . These stones

were engraved by the best modern artist s Of Rome , for Prince

Po n iatowsky, o n e Of the members of the Pol ish family of that

name,who died in Florence, in 1833.

The engravings are masterpieces , says th is conno is seur, and,had the engravers affixed their own names , the gems would

have increased in value with every succeeding age ; whereas

n ow they are regarded as comparat ively worthless , and are

sold merely for their gold mountings . At a sale Of one hun

dred and fifty- four Of these spec imens,they brought on ly from

twen ty-five to th irty shil l ings apiece , though out in the fines t

amethyst and sard , and set in splendid gold frames , Of’

v ery

elaborate des ign . Prince Pon iatowsky inherited a valuable col

lection Of genuine antiques from his uncle,Stanislaus , the last

King of Poland , including some very celebrated intagli and

camei, which renders it all the more surpris ing that he Should

have ordered one Of counterfeit s .

R ussia .

- Some Of the finest and largest collect ions Of gems

in the world are probably found in the dominion Of the Czar.

They comprise more than ten thousand Specimens, Of which

camei are the most numerous class,Egyptian

,Etruscan

,Greek

,

and modern works , many Of them cut in rare materials , and

inscript ions in the Coptic, Pers ian , and Turkish languages .

The Museum of the Hermitage comprises many of the cho icest

Specimens Of some Of the most celebrated cabinets formerly

exist ing in Europe, including the Orleans , Strozzi, and others .


The School Of Mines at St . Petersburg is said to afford a

superb display Of prec ious s tones in th eir natural condit ion,

Obtained from the teeming mines Of . Siberia, comprising dia

monds,emeralds , topazes , beryls , tourmal ines , as well as many

o ther species . Both the Winter and the Alexander palaces

are depos itories Of valuable stores Of these costly treasures ,

Cspecially diamonds .

Tlie Un itea’S tates.

- There are no col lections in this coun

t ry,either publ ic Or private , that can compete with most of

thosev

of the Eastern Continent, in the number, variety, and

s ize o f the Specimens , or in their value as h istorical gems ,

al though nearly al l the large cit ies , and many Of the in stitu

t ions of learn ing, have laid the foundat ion for valuable and

exten slve cabinets . There are several Obvious reasons why we

must n ot expect large and rare acquisit ions of the se treasures

in this young republic, at least for some generations to come.

Art collect ions are,generally

,Of slow growth . Those Of the

OldWorld are largely the accumulat ions Of ages , and , in many

in stances,have been transmitted as a part of royal or t itled

possess ions to l egal successors , or they have been fostered and

extended by State patronage , and owe the ir existence very

largely to aristocrat ic governments , as is seen by the numerous

collect ions Of crown j ewel s ; whereas , in a democrat ic govern

men t , they are principally the resul t Of individual or assoc ia

tion al contribut ions .

The best known pub l ic col lect ions of gems in the United

States are that Of the National Museum , at Wash ington , which

has been considered the most complet e in this country ; the

o n e in the Metropol itan Museum of Art , at Central Park , New

York ; the collect ion at the Academy Of Sciences , Philadel

ph ia,and those belonging to some Of the lead ing colleges

and univers it ies .


The Museum at Central Park is enriched by the collect ion

o f the Curium Gems ” brought f rom the I sland Of Cyprus by

General Di Cesn ola, and the King col lection , compris ing a

series of engraved gems presented to this inst itut ion by ‘ it s

president,Mr. John Taylor Johnston .

The Cypriote Antiqu it ies comprise a variety Of Obj ects in

teresting to the antiquary and the art student , including ear,

finger,and seal rings bearing engraved stones , necklaces ,

bracelets,and armlets Of curious workmansh ip, besides various

o ther art icles o f ornamental u§e . On e necklace is made Of

g old and rock- crystal,another of fine granulated work combined

with gems . Two sol id gold armlets weigh ing more than two

pounds , were votive Offerings presented by Eteandros, King Of

Paphos,whose reign dates from 672 B C , with his name in

s cribed in Cypriote characters . The principal stones used for

t hese engravings were carnel ian,sard

,rock - crystal , garnet , and

o nyx , and the subj ects selected by the art ists were generally

t hose pertaining to Egyptian mythology.

The collect ion Of Babylonian , Assyrian , and Phoenician cylin

ders engraved with various devices wh ich have been reproduced

on a flat surface afford an Oppportun ity for s tudying these

ancient seals . Most of them are about on e in ch in length and

represent in intagl io the bel iefs, tradit ions , and customs Of

antiquity ; the S ignet, or cylinder , o f Nebuchadnezzar, King of

Babylon, is among the number. Here are seen Egyptian

scarabei with modern sett ings by Castel lani,engravings SUp

posed to date from the Twelfth Dynasty,between 2000and 3000

B C , intagl i bearing representat ions Of the Egyptian deit ies

Ptah and Bast , and a rel ic taken from a mummy represent ing

the cartouche o f Amenophis I . ,who is supposed to have

fl ourished 2500 B C.

The valuable collect ion of ant ique engraved gems made by


Rev. C. W. King, numbering three hundred and th irty - on e

specimens , comprises examples Of Greek , Roman , Gnostic ,Assyrian

,Phoenician , Etruscan , Pers ian , Indian , and Christ ian

art . These engravings are executed upon a variety of precious

s tones,inc luding the sard , j asper, lapis - lazul i , garnet , Onyx,

sardonyx, chalcedony, agate, nicolo , carbuncle , bloodstone ,

beryl , peridot , aquamarine, plasma, amethyst , rock - crystal , and

emerald,but by far the larger part are on sard

,mostly o f an:

exceedingly beautiful and rare qual ity.

Many private cabinets , well known to amateurs , may j ustlyclaim the dist inct ion of con tain ing or having contained some

fine specimens , but , unfortunately, a part of these have been

broken up and the gems dispersed. I t has been said that Dr.

J . R . Cox, of the Univers ity Of Pennsylvania , was one Of the

first gem - col lectors in the United States , if not the fi rst , layingthe foundat ion for h is cabinet nearly e ighty years ago , and that

the Leidy col lect ion,which comprised more than two hundred

specimens,gathered between 1860 and 1880, since sold and

scattered , comprised some Of the COX gems . The col lect ion Of

the lat e Rev.E . B . Eddy, of Providence , R . I .

, reckoned among

the best,may poss ibly share the same fate .

It 18 not possible to decide upon the comparat ive merits Of

the various private collections in th is country, nor would it be

j ust t o attempt it,s ince each has , undoubtedly, some marked

pecul iarity of its own’

,and must be j udged accord ing to it s in

trin sic worth .While a few of th e best kn own collect ion s are

named, others Of equal value may have been omitted . Of the

former class may be mentioned that Of Dr. I saac Lea, Philadel

ph ia ; Mr. Lowell , Boston ; Gen . G . P. Thurston ,* Nashville ;

Through the courtesy and hospitality Of Gen eral Thufston , an indefatigable

co l lector Of Objects Of w’

rt n, and his amiable wife, the author was favo red with

the Opportun ity o f examin ing his cabinet o f gems, valuable for the n umber, size ,and character, o f the Specimens.


CHAPTER IV.

CR OWN JEWEL S .

GEM S , i t has been said , requ ire the concomitants Of royalty,

g randeur, and beauty, to be apprec iated in all the ir splendor

a nd magnificence , and it i s an h istorical fact that they have

been universally employed as symbo ls of regal power in the

decorat ion of crowns , sceptres , and other ins ignia of h igh rank .

Royal crowns or diadems have a great ant iquity, as supreme

p ower invested in a S ingle person became the prevail ing form

o f government at an early period in the h istory Of nat ions ,t hough the sceptre , as a s ign Of royal power , has the priori ty Of

date . The first ment ion Of a crown in the sacred writ ings is

t hat o f Saul ’s , which was brought to David after the defeat and

death Of the former .

Tlie Crown . This o rnament was at firs t th e emblem Of the

p riestly Office rather than that Of the rul ing power ; but when

t he two prerogat ives were united in the same person , i t became

more exclusively the representative Of royalty. The crowns

o f th e Egyptian , Hebrew, and Mexican rulers are thought to

have borne a resemblance to the episcopal mitre of the present

day.

The crown may have originated in the diadem , a fi l let

about two inches broad , worn across the forehead and t ied

b eh ind , th e two words, crown and diadem , subsequent ly becom

ing synonymous terms . At fi rst , i t was made of branches of

fl owers , more frequen tl" the laurel , the V ine , wheat, etc . , and

58

CR OWN j E WE LS . 59

afterwards of the prec ious metals , and , finally, i t was garnished

with all manner o f preciou s stones until the crown became a“ mine

-

of wealth . This j ewel varied in form among the

ancients ; that Of the Mexican emperors cons is ted Of a gold

m itre elaborately adorned With feathers and precious stones ,

whil e among the Pers ians it cons isted Of a cap embell i shed

with gems . The ceremony of coronat ion is not known in any

part Of Asia,says Tavern ier. A cap adorned with the richest

jewels is placed upon the head of the sovereign , but it bears no

resemblance to a crown . The principal ceremony of invest i

t ure, both in Turkey and in Persia , i s the girding on of the

sabre ; the same custom prevailed at the courts Of the Mogu l

emperors and some Of the nat ive pr inces . Pearl s seemed to be

a royal favorite with oriental s ; a crown captured from the

Tartars in the fifth century was profusely decorated with them,

and a Pers ian crown , two centuries later, contained no l es s than

o n e thousand large pearls .

The Emperor Heliogabalus adopted the pearl for h is regal

diadem , a style general ly used in the Empire unt il the t ime of

Constant ine, when gold and different kinds Of gems were used

for the purpose. The emperors Of the Middle Ages wore a

diadem Of S i lver when holding court at Aix- la-Chapelle,as king

o f Germany ; on e Of iron when at Milan , as sovereign Of

Lombardy ; and one Of gold at Rome , as emperor Of all their

dominions .

Crowns , or, more properly, garlands or wreaths , were some

t imes given for eminent services or talents , when they were

des ignated by epith ets S ign ifying their character, as a trium

phal crown bestowed U pon warriors for s ignal V ictories , and

those con ferred upon succe ssful athletes and poets,which

u sually consisted Of ivy or oak leaves . From this ancient

c ustom has descended the Office Of poet- laureate .

6O P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

Scipio Africanus was honored with two hundred and th irty

four of these j ewel s to be carr ied in his t riumphal process ion,

while those Of Caesar, o n a s imilar occas ion,numbered two

thousand two hundred and eighty. Claudius,after h i s

conquest in Britain , was presented with two crowns , weigh ingseven hundred and nine hundred pounds respect ively

,ponder

OHS ’ ornaments even for a sturdy Roman .

I t i s remarkable that with other numerous rel ics of ant i

quity, S O few royal diadems have been preserved ; indeed,

scarcely any have come down to the present age except by

historical records , until the discoverie s n ear Toledo,in the

middle Of the present century, and , more recently, by the

researches of Schliemann and other ant iquaries , in Greece and

Asia Minor.

The Spanish -Goth ic crowns found in 1 858 are monuments

of Roman art after it s decl ine . They comprise eight crowns

and coronets Of gold and prec ious stones , rel ics Of the Goth ic

kings and nobles,and are now depos ited in th e Musée de

C luny,Paris . Some of these d iadems are too smal l t o be

worn by an adult , and were probably intended for other

purposes,i t may have been for mortuary Offerings at the

tombs Of the kings .

The largest crown belonged to King R eceswin thus, who

flourished about the middle of th e seventh century, and

consists of a circlet Of gold embell i shed with large pearls ,

rubies,sapphires

,opal s , and emeralds , with the name of the

king in gold letters suspended by small chain s . Another

diadem,s im ilarly decorated has been referred to the queen , and

others, les s con spicuous for ornament , to the n obles ; none Of

the gems were cut with facets . These valuable rel ics were

discovered in a deserted cemetery at Fuente di Guerraz ar, two

leagues from Toledo.

CR OWN j E WE LS . 6 I

Crown of Cnarlemagn e.

—This crown , used at h is coronat iona t Rome as Emperor of the West, i s set with large diamonds ,emeralds

,sapphires

,and other gems . This symbol Of imperial

power, together with the gold throne, two gold Shields, and

o ther valuable treasures , was plundered from his tomb at Aix - la

Chapelle,in the middle Of the twelfth century, by Frederick

Barbarossa,and subsequently employed at the coronation Of

the German emperors ; i t i s kept at Vienna as a rel ic of

ant iquity.

Crow n of Hung ary —This venerab le diadem , called the

Crown of St . Stephen , formedy used at the investiture Of

the Magyar princes with sovereign power, and worn by the

fi rst Of this l ine Of kings in 1072, was pledged by El izabeth ,Queen Of Hungary

,t o Frederick IV. , of Germany, in the

fifteenth century. Accounts Of it s subsequent h istory vary ;according to one statement, i t has been kept in a place of

c oncealment ever since the subvers ion Of the Hungarian king

dom, while an other places it in pos ses s ion of the House of

Austria.

An enumeration Of th e gems Of th is ancient crown gives the

followmg summary : Fifty- three sapphires, fifty rubies,nearly

three hundred and forty pearls, only one emerald,and no

diamonds .

Iron Crown of L oni éara’

y .—This famous diadem preserved in

the Cathedral Of Monza, Italy, dates from a very early period,

possibly, before the sixth century,and figures also in modern

history. It was used at the coronat ion Of th irty- four Lombard

kings , the Emperor Charles V . , Napoleon I . ,in 1805, and Of

Ferdinand I . , in 1838 . This crown is not made Of i ron,as the

name seems to imply, ,but consists of a broad hoop Of gold

embell ished with differen t kinds Of precious stones,and

enclose s a narrow circlet o f iron,made

,according to tradit ion

,


Of a nail from the Cross , which was brought by the Empres s

Helena from Palest ine.

Tlie S ceptre.

—This ens ign Of power, or i t s s imil itude, i s veryancient

,and its use to represent royal dignity and authority is

thought to have been suggested either by the shepherd ’s staff,

or o n e carried by persons Of rank merely for ornament . A n

c ient kings sometimes bore a spear or j avel in instead Of a

sceptre,as in the case Of Saul, King Of I srael , who , it i s

written , “ abode in Gibeah , having a spear in h is hand and all

h is servants ” (court iers and followers)“ standing about him .

”

I t was th is emblem Of authority, the spear or j avel in , with

which the j ealous monarch attempted to kill David,h is rival .

The sceptre of the I l iad cons isted Of a rod or staff made Of

wood surmounted by an ornamented bal l or globe, as at the

present day, and overlaid with gold, or adorned with gold studs

and rings . This kind Of sceptre i s represented on the sculp

tured ruins of Persepol is .

R EGA L IA OF D IFFE R EN T N A T ION S .

A ustria .—The royal symbol s of thi s empire are kept in the

Burg at Vienna, and comprise several rich diadems and other

ins ignia of regal authority,together with the private j ewel s of th e

imperial family. The crown j ewels,which are numerous and

exceedingly affluent in costly gems , include the crown and

sceptre of Rudolph III, used by the German emperors o n the

occas ion of their publ ic entrance into their capital the crown s

Of different Austrian sovereigns,resplendent with bril l iant

gems ; decorations and other ornaments worn by the different

orders,and the most complete collect ion Of colored diamonds

in existence,compris ing the famous yellow Florent ine , the

Frankfort sol itaire,which forms the centre Of the O rder of the

Golden F leece,and a pink diamond ornamenting the order Of

CR OWN jE WELS . 63

Maria Theresa, or the Grand Cross .1In th is repos it ory of

precious th ings are crowns consist ing Of diamonds and rubies,others Of diamonds , emeralds , and pearls, a bouquet Of gem

flowers,bracelets , and other ornaments , al l d isplaying the riches

of the mineral kingdom .

Dresden M useum .

—The crown j ewel s include thos e belonging to the Saxon kings , together with what is somet imes

called the Pol i sh regal ia, which , it i s said , are not surpassed in

brill iancy by any in Europe, and the crowns , sceptres , and globes

used at the coronation Of Augustus I I I . and his consort , MaryJosepha

,in Cracow. Among the ioyal j ewels Of th is museum

are crowns embell ished with diamonds , emeralds , rubies , and

sapph ires,swords with h ilt s set with diamonds , aigrettes with

pink and yellow brill iants , diamond buttons , and other gem

ornaments for epaulets, hat - Clasps and feathers worn by Saxon

kings on state occas ions, and the Orders Of the Golden Fleece

embelli shed with every species Of gem . The j ewels Of the Saxon

queens are no less conspicuous for their magnificence, includinga necklace Of diamonds , a Shou lder- knot composed of fifty

- one

large and s ix hundred small bril l iants, arranged about a centre

stone, ear-pendants , hair- pins , and other fem inine ornaments , al l

more or le S S garnished with precious stones .

Spa in and P ortug al—The royal treasuries of these coun

tries are espec ial ly wealthy in d iamonds and emeralds , Obtained

principally from the New World,after the conquest . The

Portuguese crown j ewels comprise innumerable diamonds from

theBrazil ian m ines, including the gigantic Braganza, if it i s

genuine , and several others Of undoubted cha racter, weighing

between one hundred and three hundred carats . On e of these

gems , cut in the form Of a pyramid , and set in the gold cane Of

John VI ., has been valued at nearly o n e mill ion francs , or two

The crown j ewels have been rep laced by pastes.


h undred thousand dollars,while twenty d iamond buttons worn

in the doublet Of Joseph I . have been est imated at a sum

e xceeding four hundred thousand dol lars .

The Spanish treasury is no less replete with th is prec ious

s tone, if the report can be credited that Queen I sabella I I .

di splayed upon her person , at the publ ic recept ion Of an ambas

sador from Morocco , diamonds valued at two mill ion dol lars .

R ussia — This country i s remarkably affluent in diamonds

a nd other precious stones,which include many Of extraordinary

beauty and historical renown . The reason for th is appears in

t he right Of the crown to al l the gems found in the product ive

m ines Of S iberia and the Urals ,— a monopoly which has

e nriched the col lect ion beyond the power of computat ion .

Bayard Taylor refers to the great number Of royal j ewels seen

a t Moscow and St . Petersburg , and adds The soul of all the

fiery roses of Pers ia l ives in these rubies ; the freshness of al l

v elvet swards in these emeralds the bloom Of southern seas in

thes e sapphires ; th e essence Of a thousand harvest moons in

t hese necklaces of pearls

The geographical posltlon Of Russia has given her great

fac il it ies for th e acquis it ion of oriental gems ; while her con

ques t and absorpt ion Of smaller s tates have increased her stores

Of crown j ewels to an almo st unl imited extent . Uncounted

wealth in prec ious stones , crowns , thrones , sceptres, globe s ,

and other emblems of royal power, i s depos ited in the tower of

t he Kreml in , where the crowns of the czars and the regalia

o f the different peoples that const itute this complex nat ional ity,

c omprising those Of Siberia, Poland, Kazan , and other prov

in ces, are kept . Some Of the imperial diadems are exceedingly

rich in diamon ds , one alone compris ing two thousand five hun

dred and thirty- S ix, all of superior excellence. This j ewel i s

s urmounted by an immense ruby, purchased at Pekin for one



lect ions made under the Roman and Byzant ine emperors ,

which fell into the hands Of th e Turks in the fifteenth century,

and has since been greatly augmented by acquis it ions from

various nations conquered by or made t ributary to the Turkish

sultans . Some Of these treasures have , however, found their

way to France and other countries .

Permiss ion was given,says Mr. Ham l in , t o an Engl ish

party,in 1840, and again to an American , in 1880, to vis i t the

imperial treasury,and from these eye -witnes ses we are sur

prised to learn that a country reputed to be so poor financially

is S O rich in costly j ewel s . A very few art icle s selected from

this misce llaneous assemblage of royal emblems and garniture

will give some idea of the variety and splendor Of the whole

collect ion

Here are thrones blazing with diamonds,rubies

,pearls , and

gold , including the celebrated throne of Nadir Shah , costumes

of the sultan bedizened with sparkl ing j ewels , plumes with dia

mond fasten ings , swords and daggers with h ilt s decorated with

gems , sh ields elegantly wrought and j ewel led , horse trappings ,

saddles and their coverings,embroidered with pearl s and

precious s tones, knives , forks , spoons , and other art icle s Of t

table service, clocks , inkstands , and snuff- boxes , al l Of them

decorated in a similar manner. The imperial treasury holds a

brill iant array Of armor worn by the sultans that Of Murad I I . ,

the conqueror Of Bagdad, i s mentioned as being especially

remarkable for its garn iture Of precious stones . A golden ele

phant standing on a pedestal covered with pearls , a table inlaid

with topazes,the gift of the Empress Of Russia

,costumes

trimmed with valuable furs and priceless gems,divans and

cushions Of gold tis sue wrought with pearl s,cradles Of sol id

gold inlaid with prec ious stones , crystal vases encrusted with

diamonds , rubies , and emeralds , and numerous other articles,

CR OWN j EWE L S . 67

equally rich in ornament , al l afford proof of the former wealth ,power

,and magnificence Of the Turkish sultans .

P ersia .

—The regal ia of Pers ia, l ike those Of Turkey, are

reputed to be immensely rich in j ewels and precious stOn es,

which include several remarkab le diamonds Of great s ize and

beauty. The royal treasury, not easily acces sible to foreigners ,was vis ited by Mr. Eastwick, who says the magnificent store Of

precious things valued at immense sums represent ing mill ions,

were spread out o n rich carpets to be exam ined . Various esti

mates have been made Of the worth Of these j ewels, ranging

from th irty or forty mill ions t'

o two hundred mill ions , but al l

calculat ions made by strangers are , probably, mere guesses . A

crown belonging to this col lect ion is adorned with a ruby re

puted to be Of the s ize of a hen’

s egg, and a belt, weighing

twenty pounds,i s ent irely encrusted with splendid rubies,

emeralds,pearl s , and diamonds . Necklaces Of emeralds , aigrettes

of diamonds, and other ornaments , with all kinds Of armor,

blazing with rare and costly gems , are to be found here.The imposing ceremony of receiving foreign ambassadors at

the Persian court , in Tavern ier’s day, was the occasion for all

the nobles , high Offi cers , and the royal horses , to appear in state,dressed in r ich att ire heavily ornamented with precious stones

,

while a Shah of later t imes, on a sim ilar occas ion

,has been

represented by an eye -witnes s as “ refulgent with sparkling

j ewels .”

He wore a t iara of the most brill iant diamonds ,rubies , emeralds , and pearl s ; his robes were scint il lat ing with

gl ittering gems , strings Of large pearl s adorned his S houlders ,

his waist was encirc led by a girdle Of bril l iants, while bracelet s

and armlets Of remarkable beauty were displayed upon his arms

and wrist s .” This glowing description wil l be credited after

the Shah ’s European vis it,when he astonished the Engl ish by

the richnes s of his ornaments and the sp lendor Of his equipage.


His coat worn on the occasion Of his recept ion at the court of

St. James , was all ablaze with brill iant s Of surpris in g beauty,

five Of these diamonds exceeding the KOh - i- noor in s ize . His

sword,spurs , and decoration s were covered with diamonds ,

rubies , and emeralds , while the caparisons Of his horses exhib

ited the same splendid array Of sparkling gems .

Fren c/t R eg alia .—It i s not easy, nor, perhaps , poss ible , t o

estimate with any approach to accuracy,the relat ive value of

the crown j ewels Of different countries . The palm has been

awarded by some writers to France,

’

and by others to Brazil ;both are exceedingly Opulent in gems Of various species

,some

Of which have become renowned for their h istorical fame .

According to the inventory made in 179 1 , by order Of the

Assembly, the l ist embraced nearly ten thousand diamonds , and

more than eleven hundred other gems,in cludin g pearls

,rubies

,

sapphires , emeralds , topazes , amethysts, garnets , and others .

The value of all the crown j ewels made at the time,was esti

mated at nearly th irty mill ion francs, or S ix mill ion dollars , but

’

a large part Of th is wealth was lost at th e robbery of the Garde

Meuble, soon after. Through the effort s of Napoleon I . , on hi s

access ion to power,many Of the original gems stolen from the

Garde Meuble were recovered , and a large number Of others

were added to the col lect ion, SO that by the inventory o f 18 10,

i t presented the aston ish ing number Of more than th irty- seven

thousand specimens . The Frehch crown is computed to con

tain five thousand two hundred and six bril l iants , weigh ing in

the aggregate n early two thousand carats , and valued at a fabu

lous price .

Louis XVI I I . and Charles X . added to the royal t reasury

great stores of precious stones,swell ing their number to nearly

sixty -five thousand,'which were est imated in 1849 to be worth

many mil l ion dollars .

CR OWN jE WELS . 69

It .was n ot iced in the publ ic prints, in 188 1 , that the subj ect

of dispos ing of some of the crown j ewel s was discussed in

the National Assembly, and in 1884 i t was announced that

they, or a part of them , were soon to be so ld , and the pro

ceeds were to be used in enriching the Nat ion al Museum .

The most valuable j ewels , after the regal ia, are the decora

t ions sent to the sovereigns by foreign potentates , compris ing

a watch presented to Louis XIV. by the Dey Of Algiers , a

brooch Of diamonds,and a sword . I t was decided these

should not be sold,but others of no historical value were to be

disposed of, including three parures , one Of sapphires , one of

turquoises,and the other Of rubies , al l o f modern workmansh ip,

made for the Duchess de Barri , but re - arranged expressly for

the Empress Eugenie . It is said that the state j ewels n ow

comprise S ixty fine diamonds , Of more than twenty-five carats

each .

N etnerlands.

—The Dutch imported large quant it ies of

precious stones from the Western Cont inent after it s d iscovery

and colonizat ion , and S ince the diamond- bearing regions Of the

East Indies have been access ible to them , their collection has

become greatly augmented from t ime to t ime, either by purchase

or by conquest , until th e royal treasury at the Hague ranks

among the largest on the cont inent Of Europe,though it has the

reputat ion Of containing a large number Of forgeries .

Braz il. - The imperial j ewel s Of Brazil are exceedingly rich

in diamonds , which have been valued at nearly twenty mil l ion

do l lars . The largest and finest gems Obtained from the nat ive

mines have been appropriated by the crown therefore the

dist inct ion of possess ing the richest regal ia has been sometimes

awarded to th is empire,but the specimens , however great their

intrins ic value , have n o t the romantic assoc iat ions which

cluster about some of the oriental gems.


England—The crown j ewel s Of England were first depos

ited in the Tower Of London in the reign Of Henry I I I . , and

have generally been kept there, though a part Of them were

at on e t ime retained in Westminster Abbey. During th e

Commonwealth,al l the royal ornaments and that part Of the

regal ia found in the Abbey,including the ancient crown Of St .

Edward,an orb, and s ceptre, were sold by order Of the Council

Of State, and scattered ; but after the Restorat ion , Copies Of the

lost j ewels were made , st ill retaining the Old names and styles,

and added to the few of the original number which had been

recovered. The present crown j ewel s are now secured in an

i ron cage in the Wakefield Tower,and strictly guarded. Bo th

Professor Tennant and Mr. Harmon , author of the “ Tower Of

London ,”locate the regal ia in th is tower

,while Mr. Murray

says they are deposited in the Bloody Tower ; these towers are

contiguous , which explains th is discrepancy .

There are seven crowns In all , including St . Edward’s , used

at the coronation Of all the sovereigns since hi s day. This

d iadem con s ists Of gold embell ished with diamonds , rubies ,

emeralds, sapphires , and pearls ; the other crowns comprise

Queen Victoria’s , that of the,

Prince Of Wales Of pure go ld

unadorned, the crown of the queen consort set with diamonds ,

pearl s , and other gems , the queen’s diadem , made for the

second wife Of James.

I I . , adorned with large pearl s and dia

monds , the crown of Anne Boleyn , and another, Of Charles I I .

The crown Of her Maj esty Queen Victoria, made in 1838, by

Messrs . Rundell and Bridge , London j ewel lers , is a crimson

v elvet cap bordered with ermine and embel l ished with gems

taken from former crowns , together with those furn ished by

the queen’s orders , compris ing diamonds , rubies , sapphires , and

pearl s mounted in gold and s ilver. The diadem weigh s 39 OZ .

5 dwt . , and has been estimated at more than half a mill ion ,

CR OWN j E WEL S . 7 1

w hich , considering the number and kinds Of gems it contains ,i s undoubtedly below its real value . A summary Of these is as

follows 5 rubies , 1 7 sapphires , 1 1 emeralds ,2 783 diamonds, including bri l l iants ,

‘rose , and table : total 3093gems . In the centre Of a Maltese cros s made of diamonds

,

a dorning the front Of the crown,i s placed the celebrated ruby

given to the Black Prince by Don Pedro Of Cast ile,in 1367 ,

a nd worn in the helmet Of Henry V. at the battle Of Agincourt,

14 15. The cross surmount ing the diadem , contains the

sapphire set in the ring Of Edward the Confes sor,which tradi

t ion has endowed with marvel lous powers .

The j ewel - room holds various other embl ems Of royal

power, as sceptres , bracelet s , orbs , and other art icles used at

c oronat ions . Saint Edward ’s staff of beaten gold,four feet

seven inches in length , and surmounted by an orb and a cross,

is carried before the sovereign on such occas ions,and the

regal sceptre , with a cros s of gold ornamented with a large

tabl e diamond and other gems , i s placed in the royal hands by

the Archb ishop Of Canterbury, who Offi ciates at this ceremony.

This sceptre is two feet n ine inches in length with the pommel

o rnamented by diamonds , emeralds , and rubies , and bears a

rose, shamrock, and th istle , emblems Of the different countries

o f Great Britain . The Rod of Equity , a sceptre surmounted

w ith a dove , and embell i shed with a band Of rose diamonds , i s

borne in the left hand of the sovereign at h is invest iture with

regal power. Two sceptres, Of smaller s ize, called the queen’s

sceptres , are adorned with precious stones .

The regal ia include the following : the king’s orb, set with

pearl s and large amethysts ; the queen’s orb

, S imilar to the

king’

s ; the point less Sword of Mercy, called the Curtana ; two

swords Of j ust ice , one for the state, borne before the sovereign ,and the other for the church ; bracel ets , spurs , ampulla for


holding the ano int ing Oil and spoon for use in the ceremony of

consecrat ion,thought to be a rel ic of the ancient regal ia ; salt

spoons salt cellars,one of the number model led after the White .

Tower ; tankards , maces , bapt ismal font , and wine fountain , all

more or less ornamented with precious stones .

The treasures of the Tower comprise four crowns made for

Edward I . On e of these royal diadems is set with rub ies ,

emeralds,and pearl s ; another with Indian pearls only ; a third

with emeralds and rubies and a fourth,\used at h is coronat ion ,

i s Of gold garnished with emeralds , sapph ires , rubies , and large .

pearl s . Here are seen a chess -board Of Queen Elizabeth, in laid

with pearl s and prec ious metals , a Roman sh ield Of gold

bordered with rub ies , emeralds , and turquo ises , a ewer of”

mother-Of-pearl set Off with gems , an amethyst engraved with

Hebrew characters , cups enrich ed with gems , and j ewel s:

belonging to the Order Of the Garter, dating from the t ime of

Charles I . , all bedecked with diamonds and rubies .

S cotland. The crown j ewels of th is country, after the de

feat Of Mary Queen Of Scots , were with difficulty saved from

dispers ion .

“ The Honors ,” as the crown , sceptre , and sword

of state were popularly called , were concealed in Edinburgh

Castle, and escaped being captured , while a large part Of the

Scotch j ewel s which fell in to the hands Of the English,and those

1 coming into possess ion Of nat ive owners during the c ivi l wars

( Of thi s turbulent period, were recovered ; among the latter class

was that known as the Great Harry.

’ After the accession of

James VI . to the Engli sh throne , the large diamond o f th is

ornament was removed to adorn the “Mirror of Great Britain,

”

described in the inventory Of the crown j ewels, in 1605, as con

taining : one table ruby two large lozenge - Shaped diamonds,on e

Of which was Cal led the letter H of Scotland a faceted diamond ,

bought of Sancy ; two pearls , and several smal l diamonds . A



sardonyx, and carbuncle ; some Of these gems are engraved ;others are cut in the form of camei.

These j ewels were des igned for the Countes s Of Granville ,

w ife Of the English ambassador to Russia, to be worn at the

c oronat ion of the late emperor, and attracted the admirat ion ,

says Mr. King, Of the imperial , princely, and noble famil ies Of

the empire, accustomed though they were to the lavish display

o f the richest and most splendid gems the world affords .

CHAPTER V.

SECU LA R U SES OF P R ECIOU S STON ES .

THE love o f personal adornmen t , as ‘ has been int imated,i s

universal ; it i s not l imited to One period , nat ion , class , or sex,but is shared by al l

,though it exists in different degrees , and i s

m anifested in d ifferent ways .

This innate pass ion for ornament s eeks its grat ificat ion in

the acquis ition of whatever is cons idered the most beaut iful

and becoming for this Obj ect , according to the taste and cult i

v at ion of it s possessor . The savage i s contented to adorn h is

person with beads and feathers ; whil e c ivil ized man seeks the

most valuable and attract ive th ings in nature to augment his

dignity and co'

mel ines s , therefore precious stones have been

u sed for th is purpose by al l who could possess them .

Were the profus ion Of gems worn for ornament in the h igher

ranks Of society a criter ion , there would seem to be no lack of

these coveted treasures ; and , as a consequence, their commer

c ial value ought to be very small . But it must be remembered

they are almost the exclusive endowment Of a few privileged

c lasses , and have never been owned , t o any great extent , by

the masses . The social distribut ion Of prec ious stones has

a lways been l imited ; and , on account Of their imperishable

n ature , they have very largely descended by inheritance, with

the t itle s and estates o f the ir proprietors , so that , with al l th e

a ccumulat ions of th e past , and the new access ions from recent

75

76 P R E CI OU S S TON E S .

m ines , there is l ittle probabil ity that they will ever cease to be

precious on account Of their abundance and general use.

A n cien t Uses.—The nat ions Of ant iqu ity were very lavish in

personal ornaments,a pract ice which

.

has been imitated by

their successors with remarkable fac il ity. Modern excavations

made in the ruins Of ancient buried cit ie s have brough t to l igh t

many interest ing facts connected with the early use Of precious

stones in decorative art . That the Egyptians - On e of the

Oldes t nat ions of ant iqu ity—made free use Of gems for th ispurpose, i s evident from the art icles Of j ewelry found in their

tombs, and from the pictured walls Of their structures . The

paint ings at Thebes Show they were used for money,s ince the

subj ected n ations are there represented bringing their t ribute

to Egypt, in the form Of precious stones , t ied up in bags , made

secure by seals . When Assur-ban ipal, the Assyrian conqueror,

invaded Egypt , about the middle Of the fifth century, B . C. ,

according to h is own account,he despoiled Thebes Of a vast

store o f valuable treasure,including prec ious stones , which he

carried Off to enrich h is own posses sions at Nin eveh .

Ancient Egypt ian j ewelry,” says M . Perrot , “ i s con spicu

ous for its richness of material and fine proport ions , but S O

mass ive that it would seem the artist s had borrowed their formsfrom their architecture .

’ Various kinds Of personal ornaments

have been exhumed from the remains Of anc ient structures , s im

ilar to those worn at the present day, as necklaces , ear and

finger rings , arm lets , and bracelets , s et with engraved stones ,

generally those of an inferior class , compris ing the amethyst ,

carnel ian , lapis - lazul i , tuq Olse , j asper , and others . The

finest specimens now extant have come down from the great

Theban dynasties long before the t ime of Moses . Jewels

belonging to an Egyptian queen are seen in the Brit ish

M useum ; while the Louvre comprises many more Of these

S E CULA R US E S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 77

interest ing monuments , including ornaments found in the tomb

o f a son Of Rameses I I . , called the Great Oppressor,

” which

a ssigns them to th e age Of the “ Exodus ,” and a considerable

number of rings engraved with the names of Tho thmes, Ameno»

ph is,and other rulers of the eighteenth and n ineteenth dynas

t i es , covering a period from about 1600 to perhaps I 300 B . C .

O n e Of the rings Of th is collection is set with green j asper,

bearing the figure Of Thothmes I I . engaged in a l ion-hunt

another, with an en graved stone , and remarkable for it s great

s ize , too large to be worn on the finger, was undoubtedly

used as a seal . The ring given to Joseph by Pharaoh may

have been Of this kind. A statue in the Louvre, supposed

t o be one Of th e Oldest in existence, i s represented with

bracelets composed Of twelve rings"

; while the Balouk

Museum , in Egypt,contains a statue adorned with an

e laborate necklace.

N O engraved stones have come down from the earl iest dyn

asties, according to the author j us t referred to ; but the pre

sumptive ev idence is strong that the Egypt ians understood and

pract ised the art Of engraving in these remote ages . There are

n o doubts , however, that gem - cutt ing was a branch Of industry

under the Empire, from about 1600 t o 1 150 B . C. Whether

they employed the lapidary’

s wheel,or secured the resul t in

some other way, i t is pronounced by j udges that they produced

some very fine work in th is l ine . In cutt ing,they made use

both of intagl io and rel ief, though they appear to have had no

c orrect knowledge Of cameo .

The Egyptians, l ike their successors in art, understood and

pract ised the method Of making glass imitat ions , and many

o rnaments of very beaut iful and elaborate workmanship of th is

kind have come to‘ l ight . On e Of these j ewels , in the form of

a necklace, composed Of four rows Of glass beads with pendants


Of different emblems,probab ly for charms, i s now in the

Museum of the Louvre .

The finger- ring appears to have been a favorite ornament

with this ancient people, who covered their fingers with

them,even the thumb ; their women indulged in ear - rings ,

armlets,bracelets

,and anklets , more or les s ornamented with

precious stones,while necklaces were common to both sexes .

The Egyptian regal head - dress , or diadem ,cal l ed the pschent ,

worn during the period of the Empire , was formed by unit ing

the white crown Of Upper Egypt to the red crown of Lower

Egypt .

If we pass from Egypt to the great empires Of Assyria and

Chaldaea , we shall find in the remains of these ext inct nat ions

important rel ics Showing the early taste of the human race for

personal ornaments . In Sargon ’s palace at Kharsabad, which

has affo rded a rich mine Of antiquit ies,there have been found

cylinders , together with necklaces , armlets, b racelets , and other

ornaments , made o f carnel ian , jasper, sardonyx, amethyst, and

other gems of th is class , cut in various forms , sometimes in

double cones alternated with disks .”e The neck ornaments Of

Assyrian princes were made Of separate parts,each des igned as

an emblem , and the wrists of both gods and kings were adorned

with mass ive bracelets ; On e Of these , seen in the Louvre , must

have been des igned for the gigant ic s tatue of some god or

hero , since it measures five inches in diameter. “ Assyrian

j ewelry,” quot ing Perrot , “ i s st ill heavier than Egyptian , large

in design and brill iant in color ; in its detail s , i t has a power

not unl ike Ninevite s culpture,but it rarely has elegance , so

important in that kind of arti st ic work.

The Phoenician s and Syrians were early accustomed to th e

use Of prec ious stones , as we learn from the writ ings of Ezekiel,

TheO ldest jewelry of these n ations was Of bron ze.

S E CULA R US E S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 79G

who al ludes to the great variety of these worn by the princes

Of Tyre . The Phoenic ians, from their commercial habit s , very

early acquired a knowledge Of the customs and arts Of the

nat ions with whom they traded , and, as they were apt pupi ls,they soon adopted the kinds Of ornaments used by their

contemporaries,the Egypt ians , Chaldaeans, and Assyrians

,

which pleased them . Not sat isfied with being merely impor

ters,they early acquired the art Of cutt ing and engraving

precious stones for their Own use. The seal, employed by all

th e c ivil ized peoples of antiquity, became indispensable to

these merchants for legal izing their bus ines s transactions,and

for th is purpose they selected the cones and spheroids Of

Western Asia,and the scarabs Of Egypt in preference to the

cyl inder, and were the fi rs t to affix seals t o rings—a pract ice

imitated by the Hellenic tribes . These seals are very numer

ous in their remains ; on e of them , cut on transparent agate ,

dates from the reign of Sargon,and another is referred to the

seventh century, B . C . The principal subj ects selected by

the engraver were the figures Of the gods , frequently with

expanded wings to den ote perpetual mot ion , th e l ion with some

animal as his vict im (a favorite motive Of all the nat ions ,“ from

the Mediterranean to the t farthest l im its Of and a king

in a fi erce contest with a l ion , the king, Of course, always comingOff victorious .

The Phoenic ians adopted the same mortuary custom Of

placing the j ewel s of the dead in their graves, pract ised by all

the nat ions o f antiquity, which accounts for the large numbers

found in their tombs,compris ing rings for the fingers and the

ears,bracel et s

,necklaces

,and other forms Of j ewelry, and the

seal bes ide a male corpse,but no warl ike implements , as was

frequently done by other peoples,implying they were devoted

to the peaceful pursu its Of commerce, rather than the turbulent


s cenes of war. Many Of their t emples were richly ornamented

w ith gold , s ilver, and precious stones , and as an instance Of the

- luxurious habit s of the kings Of Cyprus, on e of the Phoenic ian

c olonies , it i s said that Cato sent to Rome the sum of

“ real ized from the sale of these and other treasures taken from

t he royal palace . Jewel s and engraved stones have been found

.in the region Of northern Syria,occupied by the Hitt ites

,a

"

n ation Of b ibl ical fame.

As imitat ions Of precious stones were produced as soon as

the art Of making glass and t intin g,

i t was understood,spurious

g ems have been discovered in the remains Of al l the cit ies Of

-antiquity, compris ing those of Phoen ic ia, whose inhabitant s

were renowned for their Skill in the manufacture Of glass .

T hey frequently comb ined real gems with their imitat ions in the

same j ewel , as may be seen in bracelets, bangles, and neck

laces Of Phoenician workmansh ip, and somet imes personal

o rnaments were made Of enamelled porcelain , and even Of iron ,w hich was regarded by the ancients as a precious metal .

Greece and R ome—The use Of precious stones for decora" t ion was exported into Greece from Asia, thence into Rome ;but the Greeks made a vast improvement in the works Of thei r

m asters , by introducing human forms in j ewelry and gem-e ngraving, which they did with all the refined taste and remark

a ble skil l and ingenuity characterist ic Of th is gifted race .

Alexander, after h is conquest, adopted the oriental fash ion O f

wearing ornament s and robes displaying a profus ion of gems,

w h ile the Romans not on ly imitated the Greeks,but vastly

exceeded them , i n the use of these expens ive luxuries , which

t hey employed l iberally to adorn their own persons as well as

to embell ish their equipages and household uten s il s,and for

o ther common purposes . In their wars with Mithridates , King

o f Pontus, who , perhaps , surpassed al l oth er princes Of ancient



ite horse and the stem s Of his sh ips , and when Nero used theui

to add lustre to the panels of mother- Oi-pearl in his Golden

Palace . Herodotus describes a golden V ine,bearing grapes o f

precious stones , placed over the couch Of Pytheas , the Lydian

king, and Quintus Curt ius, in a glowing picture Of oriental

luxury, says persons Of rank and wealth are conspicuous

for their ornaments of prec ious stones , and when the king

appears in publ ic, he is borne on a l itt er adorned with mag

n ificen t pearls , while his palace is enriched with columns of

gold , garn ished with golden vines bearing fruit Of brill iant gems ,and support ing s ilver birds . The troops Of Darius , cal led

the “ Immortal s , when equipped for battle , wore j ewels of gold

and precious stones , while the king’s chariot and armor were

l iterally covered with them .

The excessive use Of gems for personal ornament was severely crit ic ised by contemporary writers . Pliny says L ollia

Paul ina, wife Of the Emperor Cal igula, sometimes appeared

adorned with j ewel s worth immense fortunes . On one occas ion ,an ordinary wedding dinner, She was nearly covered with them ,

—head,ears

,neck , and fingers gl istened with costly j ewels

,

valued at two mil l ion dollars . Writ ing of the extravagance Of

Roman ladies,Tertull ian says The S l ight lobes Of their ears

outweigh a whol e year’s income , and theirleft hands squander a

money -bag on every j oint .” A ring worn by Faustina, consort

of Heliogabalus , was estimated at two hundred thousand dol

lars,and a pair Of garters , with cameo fasten ings , at nearly the

same price ; while the ear- rings of Calpurnia, the wife Of Jul ius

Caesar, were valued at the sum Of one mill ion two hundred

thousand dollars . The other sex displayed their extravagant

tastes in a different way, as when the Emperor Hel iogabalus

entertained h is guests with dishes served up with gold and pre

clous stones,intended , it i s presumed , as gifts t o the company.

S E CULA R USE S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 83

The excessive use Of ornaments by the women Of Rome

aroused the remonstrances and condemnation of the s terner sex,

who , Of course, had the expenses to defray, and one burdened

husband declared he would cut off the ears of any daughter

who might be born to h im , in order t o save h is future son - in

law the ruinous cost Of ear- rings . Seneca said that “ they ”

the women “ are not satisfied with one pearl in each ear,but

they must have three .

’ These aggrieved husbands and fathers

had good reasons for remonstrance , if i t was true that immense

fortunes were spent on ear- rings and other j ewels , as appears to

have been the case with some Of the Roman ladies . I t i s said

the fair owners were l iable to severe inj uries from the weight

Of these costly pendants , and that a special vocat ion existed at

Rome,having for it s Obj ect th e heal ing Of their ears . This

luxury Of wearing j ewels in the ears was proh ibited to men

by an edict of the Emperor Alexander Severus , 222—235 A. D . ,

which proves they were worn by the male sex before his reign .

Precious ston es were used for arch itectural decoration by the

nations Of ant iqu ity,as they have been by those Of the Middle

Ages the Ptolemies afford an il lustration Of this custom . The

poet Lucan describes the luxury and Splendor Of the palace Of

Cleopatra, which would seem like a fabric Of the imagination

were n ot h is narrat ives authent icated by contemporary history.

Pavements Of onyx, thresholds of doors made Of torto ise - Shel l

set with emeralds , furniture inlaid with j asper, and couches

studded with various kinds of precious stones,met the bewil

dered gaze Of the Roman soldiers who invaded Egypt under

Augustus .

T/te Gotks. The excess ive use Of gems indulged in by the

Romans was early adopted by the swarming tribes that con

quered the Empire and occupied her territories . The victors

carried Off an innumerable amount Of beautiful vessels cut from


precious stones and profusely embel l i shed with them , besides

vast stores Of costly j ewel s . I t i s on record that one dish ,

weighing fifty pounds , ornamented with gems , was presented to

o n e Of the Gothic kings by a successful general , and fifty basins

fi lled with these valuable spoilswere given to on e of the prin

cesses,a statement corroborated by the immense treasures in

j ewels found in the palace Of the Visigoth kings at the pil lage

o f Narbonne by the Franks , in the S ixteenth century, and in the

Gothic treasures of Toledo, presented in the form of crosses ,

Chal ices , pateras , caskets , and other articles , all elaborately

garn i shed with precious stones , which were seized by th e

Moslem conquerors and sent to Damascus during their wars in

the Peninsula. A remarkable discovery of buried treasure has

al so been made in Roumania, the ancient Dacia, a country

occupied by the Goths , compris ing gold and j ewels Of Goth ic

and Byzantine workmanship, probably the spoil s captured by

these warl ike tribes , in some of their predatory excurs ions .

The early Gauls cared less for personal adornment than th e

Franks,who

,in the t ime of Dagobert, di splayed their love of

ostentation by the free use of gems to decorate their attire and

weapons Of war, but after these t ribes embraced Christ ian ity,

their use Of these ornaments was directed into an other channel

—that Of embel l i sh ing their churches and other rel igious buildings

,which

,in the mediaeval period, became depos itories of

wealth in gems and costly j ewel s .

After the reign Of Charlemagne, there was a decl ine in the

use Of prec ious stones,so that in the twelfth century their

posses s ion was confined almos t ent irely to princes and eccle

siastics.

The Anglo- Saxons part icipated in the general pass ion for

ornaments , embroidered robes , and crowns brill iant with pre

cious stones , while the caparisons of their horses , with their

S E CULA R US ES OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 85

r ichness Of decoration , Offered a tempting prize t o their Roman

conquerors. These rel ics are occas ionally exhumed ; Mr. Jones

relates an instance Of the kind which occurred in 177 1 , when a

crown Of compl icated design was discovered on Kingston Down,

and another was found in London , i n 1840,' composed Of gold

filagree and pearls.

M odern Uses. Precious stones have been more general ly

employed for personal ornament in modern t imes,especial ly dur

ing the past and present centuries , than they were among the

ancients , for the reason that.there are a greater number of

people of wealth in the private walks Of l ife than at any pre

vious t ime in the h istory of the race. The oriental nat ions have

always been attracted by gorgeous apparel , and it i s among

them we shall find th e rarest collect ions Of gems and the most

br il l iant exhibit io n Of their use for decorat ion . Prominent

among eastern countries for richness Of ornaments may be

classed the dominions Of the sultan of

Turkey—A t the t ime Of the Turkish conquest , Constanti

n ople was a vast store - house for the rares t and most valuable

Spoils Of the world . Whatever was most beautiful in art , what

ever was most precious in nature , had drifted th ither, and th i s

fact explains why so many remarkab le and costly gems are

owned by the Imperial Government or by the Turkish nobil ity.

I t is said that the extravagant use of these ornaments by the

latter, during some periods in the h istory Of th is nat ion , was in

credible . On e Of the pashas , at h is death , alluded to by Mr .

Hamlin , left thirty- two cuirasses studded with rubies , fifteen

strings Of large pearls,besides s ixty bushels Of smal l pearl s , and

numerous articles covered with diamonds , while an Offi cer o f

state adorned his garden at h is country- seat with parterres Of

flowers composed Of gems in imitat ion Of natural vegetation .

I t i s hardly necessary to refer to the richness and abundance Of


the sultan’s personal ornament s, as it must be taken for

granted that a luxurious despo t wou ld not be surpassed in

magnificence by his vassal s .

On state occas ions, as i s the oriental custom , he i s sur

rounded by all the'

symbol s Of rank and power. When the

ambassador from the Dutch Republ ic, at the beginning Of the

seventeenth century, was granted an audience, he found the

emperor seated upon a throne blazing with diamonds , rubies ,

pearl s,and other costly gems, under a sumptuous canopy

sim ilarly adorned .

Tavernier, who visited the su ltan’s court , d escribes the

S plendor and magnificence Of the Grand Signor’s royal palace

and equipage with the minuteness Of detail characterist ic Of

th is writer

E ight different coverings were used for the drapery of the

imperial throne, - on e Of black velvet embro idered with large

pearl s , another of white velvet ornamented with rubies and

emeralds , a third Of purple velvet decorated with tur

quoise and pearls , while the remain ing five were embell ished

with gold and other rich materials . Different draperies were

employed on different occas ions ; for example , on the recep

t ion Of ambassadors , the richest were used for the representa

tives Of the mos t dist inguished and powerful nat ions , while for

those Of less consequence,in the est imat ion Of the sultan , a

more s imple cloth of state was displayed . On these publ ic

occasions , the emperor’s horses , consist ing of a numerous

retinue , were paraded in capari son s bedecked with diamonds ,

emeralds , rubies , and other precious stones . The magnificence

Of the court was carried into al l it s amusement s , which afforded

o ccasions for the display Of the wealth Of the O ttoman Empire

in these treasures . Every sport ing hawk wore a hood embroid

e red with pearls, and a j ewel ornamented with gems adorned h i s

S E CULA R US E S OF P R E CI OUS S TON ES .87

n eck. The imperial exchequer appears to have been an in ex

haustible mine of diamonds , if it was true, as stated , that the

Emperor Murad V . ,who acceded to power on the dethronement

Of Abd-ul-Aziz, in 1876, paid his banker four mill ion dollars

w orth Of these gems , which were sent to Pari s for sale.

M ogul R ulers.

—The luxurious habits Of the Turkish sultanswere imitated by all the Mohammedan princes , and perhaps

surpassed,by the Mogul emperors of India, whose affluence in

p recious stones was inconceivable . The accounts given by

t ravellers who vis ited their court almost surpas s bel ief.

Tavernier,whose Opportun it ies for j udging were not excelled,

says there were in all seven imperial thrones , all of them

literally covered with diamonds , rub ies , emeralds , and pearls ,but for richness and novelty Of design , the famous “ Peacock

Throne ,”of Shah Jehan , exceeded all others . The outspread

t ai l comprised sapphires and other‘

gems to r'epresent the

n atural plumage Of the bird ; the body was of enamelled gold

s tudded with precious stones , while from the breast was

suspended a large ruby with a pear- Shaped pearl of fifty

c arats weight , for a pendant . The peacock was placed over the

throne , and on each s ide were arranged bouquets Of flowers

m ade Of go ld and gems . The throne itself, S ix feet in length

and four in width , was Of sol id gold covered with precious

stones, including more than on e hundred rubies , weigh ing from

o n e hundred to two hundred carat s each,and one hundred and

S ixty emeralds , from thirty to s ixty carats in weight .

A transparent j ewel w ith a diamond pendant, Of eighty

or ninety carats , encircled by rubies and emeralds , was

suspended before the emperor when he occupied this imperial

seat ; twelve pil lars , which upheld the canopy, were set with

rows of pearls , and on each S ide was displayed a crimson velvet

umbrella with pearl fringe and handles encrusted with dia


monds . Behind th is magn ificent royal pavil ion was erected a

smal ler throne covered with diamonds and pearl s .

The treasury Of Shah Jehan,the most celebrated of the

Mogul rulers,was hardly equalled, for priceless j ewels, by that

Of any potentate, Of his own or any other period . His robes ,

sceptre , sword , shield , and dagger were encrusted w ith gems ;three necklaces Of huge pearl s , bracelets Of diamonds and

other costly gems , crown , and turban bearing heron feathers

confined with an immense ruby,diamond

,and emerald

,formed

a part Of h is royal vestments . His tent,when in camp , was

covered with rich scarlet cloth l ined with purple satin em

broidered with pearl s , diamonds , rub ies , amethysts , and other

precious stones . On e Of the curios i t ies Of his collect ion was a

globe covered with gems to represen t the different Obj ects

delineated on its surface, as the sea was designated by emer

alds, and the various countries by other kinds Of colored gems .

The go lden vine overhanging the port ico Of the Moslem palace

at Agra was covered with grapes of emeralds and rubies , to

represent their different stages Of maturing.

A urungz eeb, the son and successor Of Shah Jehan , accumu

lated an astonish ing mass of precious stones and rare curios i

t ies , compris ing, with many others , a table and cabinet , made

of different colored gems arranged to represent b irds and

flowers in their natural t int s . Mahmoud , the famous Moslem

conqueror left, at h is death , four hundred pounds avo irdupois

in precious stones p lundered from his vanquished foes .

The celebrated Tartar conqueror, Timour or Tamerlane, of

the fourteenth century, acquired vast stores Of precious stones

during his campaigns in India, Persia, and Arabia , which he

was wont to display with royal magnificence,during his

sumptuous fétes in Samarkand , h is capital .

India .- The natives Of India have always exh ibited an



t he marriage of on e of the scions of the fam ily, the bridegroom

presented gifts to each of the guests,cons ist ing of diamonds

,

valued , in the aggregate, at nearly eighty thousand francs .

Philip the Bold, on great public occas ions , appeared in

j ewels worth a fortune. His costume at the meeting with the

Duke of Lancaster, of England , at Amiens , in 139 1 , as

described by the chroniclers of the t imes,comprised a surcoat

which was embroidered on the left sleeve with a branch bear

ing twenty blossoms made of pearls,rubies

,and sapph ires

,and

buds consist ing of pearls . Other art icles of his elaborate

wardrobe were decorated with the same profusion of rich orna

m ent, including a su it of crimson velvet, covered with rubie s

a nd sapphires, which was to be worn with chain and bracelet s

set with rubies . When regent of France , th is luxurious prince

indulged in the same reckles s extravagance,and

,as a con se

quen ce , died a bankrupt . Phil ip the Good surpassed h is prede

cesso r in the splendor of his ornaments and the magnificence

o f his retinue. His collect ion of gems was so large and varied

that he i s said to have worn at publ ic recept ions j ewels valued

a t on e mill ion francs , and to “have changed them each day of“the week

,so that

,if diamonds were the cho ice of on e particu

lar day, rubies were selected for th e next , sapph ires for th e

t hird, and so on to the end of the week , according to the fancy

o f the owner. As a matter of course , his example was followed

by the numerous suite that always attended him , making his

c ourt one of unparalleled splendo r and luxury.

Charles the Bold , the last Duke o f Burgundy, exceeded all

the princes of th is house in his acqu is it ions of precious stones .

His ducal crown o f pearls and diamonds was “ worth a whole

duchy.

” A mantle worn by th is prince, covered with gold and

diamonds,cost two hundred thousand ducats ; while the ten t

u sed in hi s campaign s was remarkable for the richness of its

S E CULA R US ES OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 9 1

o rnaments . The duke’

s es cutcheon displayed on the outs ide

o f the tent was embell ished with pearls and precious stones,

and the interior was hung with crimson velvet,embroidered

with golden fol iage and pearls . The throne which formed a

part of his mil itary equipage was of mass ive gold, and the hilt s

o f. his sword and dagger were covered with rubies, sapphires ,

and emeralds ; while h is cap o f maintenance and plume- case

were enr iched with diamonds , pearls , rubies , and sapph ires .

His Order of the Golden Fleece and seal were garnished with

p recious stones of great beauty and rarity. Some of the j ewels

of th is duke have a place among the gems of l iterature, in

c luding the “ Lamp of F landers , the “ Three Brothers of

Antwerp , cons isting of three rubies, and, according to some

w riters , the Sancy diamond . A large part of these j ewel s

were captured by the Swiss , at the battle of Grandson , and

scattered throughout Europe ; some of them belong to the

French regalia. Sir Walter Scott , in h is n ovel of “ Anne of

G eierstein, gives a graphic account of the wealth of th is prince

in costly j ewels , and of their loss during his unfortunate war

w i th Switzerland .

T/ze Duke of Orleans, who flouri shed during the latter part

o f the fourteenth century,was d ist inguished for h is mun ificen t

g ift s in precious stones to h is favorite retainers , as wel l as for

h is own luxurious habit s of l iv ing . He displayed h is love of

o rnament not only in his personal att ire , which was richly

decorated with brill iant gems,but also in all his domest ic

a rrangements ; h is gold and silver plate , and other articles of

table service , be ing inlaid with them .

T/ze I talian s arid Span iards of the fourteenth and fifteenth

centuries emulated the other European states in the amount

and value o f their gem collect ions ; while their nobles displayed

o n thei r court - dresses whole mines of wealth . The mantilla of

92 P EE OJOU S S TON E S .

Catherine of Aragon , at her marriage with Henry VII I . , wasornamented with a border twelve inches deep

,covered with

gold , pearls , and other cost ly gems . The ducal crown of on eof the Visconti, a noble I tal ian family, was set with preciouss tones est imated at a great price for those t imes

.

Fran ce —The partial ity of the French for the extravagant

use of personal ornaments had decl ined after the t ime of Dago

bert and h is immediate successors ; but Louis XI I . , on his

access ion to power, made an attempt to revive the national

taste, by invit ing j ewellers to France , from Milan and Genoa,and succeeded so wel l that , during the reign of his successor

,

Francis I ., precious stones became obj ects of eager pursuit by

both sexes . Consequent ly, the art of sett ing gems was carried

to a h igh degree of finish , a dist inct ion the French have ever

s ince maintained . Many of the des igns were made by some of

the most celebrated painters of the t imes ; several were exe

cuted by Cell ini,the most famous artis t of his age . Colored

stones and pearls held the supremacy unt il superseded by dia

monds , in the last half of the eighteenth century. The extrava

gant use o f precious stones in France at th is period exceeded

all bounds , and rival led, if it did not surpass , that of the ancientRomans at the heigh t of the fever. The dress of Marie de

Medici , at the baptism of on e o f the royal children , was

trimmed with th irty- two thousand pearl s and three thousand

diamonds, valued at s ixty thousand crowns ; her robe was so

heavily weighted with these ornaments that the queen was n ot

able to bear the burden without assi stan ce . Louis XI I I . and

h is court iers exceeded all their predecessors in extravagant

luxury, insomuch that an attempt was made to check it ; but

fashion '

will not tol erate any interdict,and various methods

were employed to evade the law. What decrees could not do,was finally accompl ished

,for a t ime , at least , by a pol it ical

S E CULA /C US E S OF P R E CI OUS S TON ES . 93

c onvul s ion ; the Revolution arrested th is reckless prodigal ity,

t o be revived , however, at a later date , with stil l greater

vehemence . The era of class ical styles followed , and costumes

w ere elaborately trimmed with prec ious s tones , and all kinds

o f j ewelry were model led after the ant ique . The number of

fingers were too few to di splay all the rings considered n eces

sary to set off personal charms ; therefore, the toes were

brought into requis it ion . But here was another difficulty

how could these gl ittering ornaments be displayed with the

feet covered ? Fashion is very inventive ; so the feet must be

dressed in oriental sandals,in order to exhibit their fine j ewel s .

T he noble famil ies exiled by the new government had taken

their hereditary j ewels with them , which left only the less

v aluable gems ; but these served the purposes of camei, hence

c amei were greatly admired unt il the banished diamonds and

pearl s re - appeared in the c ircles of rank and wealth .

T/ze Eug lz'

S /z princes and aristocracy adopted the habits

o f their cont inental neighbors in the display of personal orna

ments, especial ly during the Norman period , when kings , nobles ,and prelates were consp icuous for their lavish use of precious

s tones . Henry I I I . and his queen possessed magnificent

j ewels and other decoration s rich ly garnished with them . The

wedding gifts of th is royal bride included nine chaplets for her

h air, formed of gold filagree and clusters of gems , great camei

brill iant with costly stones,a s ilver peacock with the train

made of pearls , sapphires , and other rare stones , used for sweet

w aters which flowed from the beak into a s ilver basin , and

el even garlands enriched with pearls,emeralds

,sapphires , and

garnets , a present from the bridegroom . The royal crowns and

girdles of th is princes s were al l garnished with a profusion of“

the richest gems the m ineral kingdom could afford . Edward

I II. was very l iberal in h is gifts,bestowing them upon h is favor


ites,one of whom received nearly twenty thousand specimens

of pearl s and prec ious ston es . Richard I I . expended upon a

s ingle coat j ewels cost ing nearly one mill ion dollars .

The Tudor princes were no less conspicuous for their love

of personal ornaments than the Plantagenets had been . The

coronat ion robes of Henry VI I I . were resplendent with gold

and precious stones , and a gay bridegroom was this same prince

if we may bel ieve the reporters of his t ime,who say he was

attiredin cl oth o f gold loaded with diamonds,emeralds, rubies ,

and pearl s . His costume, at the celebrated meet ing of the

“ Cloth of Gold ,” was con spicuous for it s richness even where

each prince was emulous to outsh ine every other,in the splen

dor and magnificence o f his wardrobe . His daughters inheritedtheir royal father

’

s tastes , seen in the richn ess of the bridal

trousseau o f Mary Tudor, and at the court of El izabeth , who is

said to have surpassed all her contemporary sovereign s in th e

profusion and variety of her j ewels . The nobles and courtiers

imitated the example of their queen , so that her reign was

s ignal ized for the brill iancy of her court in costly att ire , as well

as brill iancy in wit . It was the custom of thi s period to confer

valuable j ewels as guerdons upon knight s of the tournament

and prize -fighters ; the queen , on a s imilar occas ion , presented

to a successful ath lete a j ewel set with rubies and diamonds ,

valued at more than three th ousand dollars , a gift far more

costly in those t imes than it would be n ow. The old- fash ioned

devices and mottoes called pos ies,frequently alluded to by

contemporary writers , were spelled or represented by preciou s

stones .

Mary Queen of Scots was the peer of her rival in the posses

s ion of rich j ewels . Her crown worn at her marriage with the

Dauphin was brill iant in diamonds and other valuable gems a

s ingle carbuncle pendant was valued at hundreds of thousands

S E CULA R USE S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 95

of dol lars ; her train , s ix yards in length , was so loaded with

precious s tone s that it had to be borne through the mazes of.

the dance by an attendant . The j ewels of this princes s named

in her will,comprised, with many others , a diamond necklace,

rubychains, and a parure of pearls brought from'

France, con

sidered the finest in Europe at the t ime . Some of these

treasures were depos i ted in Edinburgh Castle , others were

scattered or stolen after the defeat of her army at Langs ide.

Anne,wife of James I . of England , was the owner of a large

col lect ion of precious stones , nor was the king h imself in sen si

ble to their attract ions , as appears from the display of three

mill ion dol lars worth of j ewel s on h is person at the marriage of'

his daughter to the Elector Palat ine , and this was before the

Koh - i-noor came into the possess ion of the royal family. All

the sovereigns of the Stuart l ine were opulent in precious

stones . Charles I . , notwith standing h is poverty and long wars ,found means to enlarge his inherited possess ions by purchases,

which,in a single year and a half, amounted to a quarter of a

mill ion dollars . Mary, the wife of James I I . , wo re at her corona

t ion j ewels est imated at a sum between one and two mill ions .

On the abdicat ion of th is sovereign , nearly all h i s private

j ewels , including the ornamen t of Mary Queen of Scot s , which

has a tragical h istory, and some belonging to the crown , were

carried out of the kingdom and scattered abroad. Queen

Carol ine , consort of George I I . , owned a large collect ion of

gems ; her diamonds alone were valued at five mill ion dollars ,

and yet at her coronat ion she borrowed j ewels of some of the

court ladies lest her own should prove insuffi c ient for the occa

s ion . A tiara of diamonds , worth three hundred thousand

dollars , adorned the brows of Charlotte, wife of George

wh ile on e lady of the nobil ity wore,at the crowning of th is.

ruler, diamonds est imated at nearly one mill ion. The costumes


o f the Duke of Buckingham were always of the richest kind ;h is cloak, hat , plume, girdle, sword , and spurs , were bril liant with

cost ly diamonds . On e of h is suit s , made of white velvet,was

e mbroidered with nearly half a mill ion worth of these gems,and

a nother, of purple velvet , was covered with valuabl e pearl s .

When sent to France to escort Henrietta Maria to England,as

t h e bride of Charles I . , th i s n obleman took with h im twenty

seven different su its for h is own use , al l embroidered or orna

m en ted with precious stones . Officers of state , up to thi s

period,had indulged in the same luxurious habit s wh ich charac

t eriz ed royal and noble famil ies . The belt, girdle , and bald”r ick of the Lord Chancellor, during the reign of Will iam the

Conqueror, were remarkable for richnes s of ornament , and

.s hone “ l ike twinkling stars with stones most prec ious rare.

The “ St George belonging to the Garter, though n ot now

o rnamented with precious stones , was formerly garnished withc ostly gems . The insignia sent to Gustavus Adolphus bore

a St George enrich ed by eighty - four large diamonds .

The styl e of dress among gentlemen of the present day does

not admit of an excess ive use o f j ewelry but it was otherwise

w ith past generat ions , when the material s for costumes con

si sted of sat ins , velvets , and embroidery, and when the fashion

o f their garment s allowed such orn aments . Less than two

centuries ago,a gent leman ’s att ire was not complete without

“ a j ewel for hi s hat,chain s for h is neck , and rings for his

fingers,

” al l more or les s enriched with precious stones . These

elaborate wardrobes,says Mme . Barrera, proved a heavy bur

den in a pecuniary sense ; and not infrequen tly publ ic men ,

especially ambassadors to foreign courts,n ot only spent al l

their income to maintain their station , but often incurred heavy

debts besides .

A bride’s t rousseau in the s ixth century exceeded even that



Marie Anto inette was remarkable for richness and curious

workmanship . It s gold handle , enamelled and embell ished

with pearls , rubies , and bouquets of diamonds , supported a

frame of ivory, im itat ing lace-work, mounted with the imperial

eagle . This trinket, l ike so many other royal j ewels , has its

romance, having been used by two unfortunate queens of

France Marie Anto inette and Eugenie .

Princes and nobles have competed for the monopoly of th e

trade in precious stones,and frequently their collection s

assume vast proport ions,representing uncounted wealth .

According to an inventory o f the j ewels of a Swedish noble ,

made at the close of th e s ixteenth century,his cabinet con

tain ed on e hundred and eighty- four large diamonds , forty - S ix

rubies , four hundred and sixty- one emeralds , two hundred and

fifty- s ix pearls

,besides an unlim ited number of mounted gems,

or those otherwise disposed o f.

Prince Potemkin (1736 o n e of the most accomplished

court iers of th e Empress Catherine I I . , was the owner of a

choice col lection of precious stones , including a large number

of diamonds,with which he was accustomed to amuse himself

by arranging them in various ways on a table covered with

b lack velvet—a harm less , if not a dignified , pastime . The

court favorite was fond of displaying his j ewel s upon his per

son,and appeared on important oc cas ions arrayed in the

S plendor of an oriental despot . His collar of one of the Rus

sian orders was‘

sparkling with d iamonds worth hundreds of

thousan ds,whilemill ions more were represented in diamonds ,

emeralds,and other valuable gems , which adorned a wreath

and epaulet s belonging to this Muscovite prince . S uvoroff,

the celebrated field-marshal , stern Cossack as he was , had a

great admiration for prec ious stones , and was the owner of

many fine gems,gift s from the different sovereigns of Europe,

S E CULA R US ES OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 99

which he carried with him on his mil itary campaigns, to be

studied and admired during h is le isure moments.

The Esterhazy gems “ have passed into history, and fi ll

many a page with their gl it tering illustration s . Prince

Nicholas, on e of th is ancient Hungarian family, who flourished

at the close of the eighteenth and the beginning of the n ine

teen th century, revived the mediaeval pract ice of de'éorating

m i l itary uniforms and weapons with prec ious stones . Al l his

armor worn at the coronat ion of Franc is I I . as King of Hun

gary was covered with valuable gems h is sword and scabbard

sparkled with brill iants a shoulder- band and bel t presented a

galaxy of diamonds and pearl s ; while his numerous O rders

enhanced the splendor of his equipment s . The uniform of the

prince as a Hungarian general was ornamented with fifty thou

sand diamonds , bes ides many fine specimens of rub ies , topazes ,

emeralds , and other variet ie s of precious stones . The cap was

encircled by a band of pearl s , and bore a plume composed of

five thousand diamonds of different colors . With all h is mag

n ificen ce , Nicholas Esterhazy was excelled in the display of

splendid j ewelry, by his successor, Prince Paul , who died a bank

rupt , in 1866. His large collect ion was sold at his death , to l iqui

date h is debts , and the celebrated Esterhazy gems were scattered

over the world . They included , amon g others , more than fifty

thousand brill iants , an aigret te of diamonds for the prince’s mil i

tary cap , a loop‘

of diamonds and pearls , and a sword , sheath ,

and belt, most elaborately ornamented with precious stones .

The question naturally arises : Where d id all the gems

come from ? Mr. Jones , in hi s work on precious stones ,

says th e Crusaders introduced vast quantit ies into Europe ,

along with many other luxuries . I t is related that one hun

dred and fifty mules were n eeded to transport the spo i ls of

Tancred , including gold , s ilver, and preciou s stones ; while an

OO P R ECI OUS S TON E S .

immense quantity of the same kind of treasure was captured at

Cyprus, by Coeur- de-Lion . I t may appear incredible that the se

articles, especially gems, which , from their small s ize and

indestruct ible nature, could have been easily concealed, should

not have eluded their captors ; but it wil l be remembered that

much of the spoil was plundered from besieged towns whence

escape was improbable , or was captured on the battl e -field, in

c onsequence o f the custom of princes to take to the scene of

war their most valuabl e j ewels , which were often worn as orna

ments during an engagement , as was the case at the battle of

Grandson .

EQU IPA GE A N D A R M OR .

The practice of decorat ing the trappings of horses,armor,

and royal equipages , though not confined to the East , originated

there in very early t imes , as the Assyrian bas - rel iefs at N ine

veh prove ; and th is t ime -honored fash ion is st i l l in vogue

among some of the nation s of th e presen t day. I t was a

Roman custom,in use before the Empire, as is shown during

the civil war between Metellus and Suetonius , in Spain , when

Pompey’s l ife was saved in one of the battles by his richly

caparisoned horse . This general , b eing hard-pressed by the ‘

foe, dismounted , and , turning the animal , which was covered

with decorated trappings,out among the enemy, made his

es cape while the soldiers were quarrell ing for the booty. I t i s

seen by the numerous co llect ion s in the museums that the

practice was universal throughout Europe during the Middle

Ages ; at a later period, Charles I I . , of Englan d, ornamented

the st irrups of his saddle with three hundred and twenty

diamonds , while the palfrey of Mary Queen of Scot s was

caparisoned with purple velvet , embroidered with pearl s , and a

bridle richly s et with preciou s stones . The armor of knights ,both offens ive and defens ive

,was s imilarly embell ished.


CHAPTER VI .

DIFFE R EN T K IN DS OF o R N A M EN Ts'

.

R ings. The ring i s one of the oldest and one of the most

common j ewels known . I t s great ant iqu ity is proved by the

statues at E lephanta,India, and by o ther rel ics of the past , as

well as by the records of th e sacred writers . As a symbo l,

i t represents power,honor, rank , and all iance, and was the

emb lem of authority among the ancients , as with the Egypt

ians , when Joseph was invested with the vice - royalty of the

kingdom , and with the Pers ians , when Ahasuerus appo inted

Mordecai to supersede Haman in office, and when , by com

mand of the King of Babylon , i t was employed to sanct ion a

proclamat ion in favor of the Jews . The ring was also used by

the Israel ites to make val id royal decrees , as when Jezebel , the

queen of Ahab,fraudulently employed his ring for th is purpose ;

and to authent icate public documents , and l egalize bus ines s

t ransactions between contract ing part ies . In these in s tances

it i s probable the ring was mounted with an engraved stone

as a seal , s ince this j ewel was frequen tly set with gems bear

ing inscriptions, and used for s ignet s by the nations of

ant iquity.

The ring has been very generally selected for the ceremony

of investing persons with sacerdotal prerogat ives ; for betroth

ments , marriages, and memorial s for the dead ; while as a per

sonal ornament, there have been no l imit s to the numbers

worn . Seneca says of h is countrymen : “ Our;fingers are

102

D IFFE R E N T KI N D S OF OR N A M EN TS . I03

loaded with rings ; each j o int i s adorned with precious stones

while o n e prominent Roman , who was , undoubtedly, a repre

sen tativ e of many others , displayed s ixteen rings on h is fingers

at once . The Romans had their summer and their winter rings ,and the Greeks had their rings for each week in the year.

Hel iogabalu s , who has been cal led the greatest fop of all the

Emperors of Rome , never wore the same ring twice ; but th is

e ffeminate prince was excelled by a German n oble of a later

period , who had n ot only a ring, but , a snuff- box, both orna

men ted with gems , for each day in the year.

The most important qual ity of th e ring, according to tradi

t ion , was it s power to endow the possessor with the gift of

e loquence ; hence, they became important to lawyers when

pleading, and to poets when rec it ing thei r verses , and they

o ught to be in great demand in these t imes of oratorical efforts .

When this j ewel was set with a stone engav ed with represem

tation s of the planets , i t was thought to be invested with

remarkable virtues , and was employed in mystic rites ; i t

became a sure pro tect ion against certain maladies,after receiv

ing the royal bless ing, and it i s st il l regarded by many as a

tal isman .

Tne Genun el, or j umelle.

—The betrothal ring is very

ancient some antiquaries believe it i sk

o’

f Hebrew origin .Mar

riage rings set with intagl i were in use among the Romans at

an early period in their history,as represented in their ruins

and probably the gemmel was famil iar to them .In Pliny’s

t ime , i t cons isted of iron set with lodestone,s ignifying a

mutual surrender of l iberty ; sometimes it was made o f two

alen t , that the loss of the bridal ring is an ill omen,i s a super

stition which had i ts origin in a past age.


The ring was used at the impos ing ceremony of espousingthe Adriati c inaugurated at the defeat of Frederick Barbarossa

by Admiral Zian i. Pope Alexander presented this j ewel to the

doge,saying

,

“ Take this ring and with it the sea as your sub

ject. The annual return of th is day shall commemorate the

subj ugat ion of th e Adriatic to Venice as a spouse to her

husband .

” For s ix hundred years the ceremony was yearlyobserved by the doge ’s lett ing fall into the sea a ring, pron oun c

ing at the same t ime the formula : We wed thee with th is

ring in token of our own true and perpetual sovereignty.

”For

more than fifteen centuries,th is emb lem has performed an im

portant réle in the ceremony of consecrat ing a bishop . The

ring used for this purpose i s made of gold mounted with a ruby,

sapph ire, or amethyst , more frequently the latter, from it s sup

posed moral power over the candidate . The Roman pontiff has

two rings , on e for his special use , and another for that of

persons act ing under h is authority,as wel l as for hi s own ao

commodat ion : those of very large s ize are supposed to have

been employed as credential s for envoys , and not the rings of

invest iture . I t was an ancient practice to bury the ring and

other eccles iast ical ins ignia with the deceased prelate , a custom

which proved to be a temptat ion to frequent robberies of tombs ,

until imitat ions were substituted for the real j ewel s . A large

ring of gil t bronze , set with amethysts , was taken from the tomb

of Pope Boniface , during the insurrect ion at Rome in 1849.

The ring used in the coronat ion of the sovereigns of Great

Britain cons ists of a plain gold band with a large ruby engraved

with the Cros s o f St . George. The one sent to El izabeth t o

not ify this princess of the death of Mary Tudor, and her acces

s ion to the throne , by a strange co inc idence , was the same little

messenger despatched on a s imilar errand to James VI . , of

S co tland, on the death of [ us predecessor.



Fortune,as if determined upon his destruct ion , ordained th at

the j ewel should be swallowed by a fi sh , which was soon after

caught and brought t o the mon arch ’s kitchen ; consequently

th e ring was restored to him . His royal confederate , fearing

he h imself m ight become involved in the destruct ion sure to

o vertake Polycrates,withdrew from the league—j ust in t ime

to secure his own safety, for, soon after, the Samian king was

taken captive by the satrap of Sardis and crucified .

The story has,undoubtedly

,some foundat ion in fact , s ince

Herodotus refers to the emerald ring of Polycrates , engraved

by Theodorus of Samos . This j ewel has given rise t o some

speculation about it s ident ity ; the one depos ited in the Temple

o f Concord at Rome was c laimed to be the famous r1ng, but

that was made of sardonyx and not engraved , which does not

answer to the descript ion of the Greek historian . An emerald

found in A ricia, I taly, a few years ago , of large s ize, and en

graved with the figures of a lyre and cicada, an insect known

fo r it s musical powers , has been thought to be the ident ical

emerald of Polycrates , but it i s h igh ly improbable that a gem

dat ing back more than twenty - three centuries, should ever be

recovered and ident ified .

The Dresden Museum contain s more than s ixty rings , many

o f them h istorical , set with different gems—diamonds , rub ies ,emeralds , Opals , sapphires , hyacinths , garnets , carnel ians , and

o ther precious stones . On e o f the collect ion , with a sapphire

d’

eau , was g1v en to a knight by the Elector John Frederick

when th e latter was taken prisoner at th e battle of M iihlberg ,

1547 two others formerly belonged to Mart in Luther,and on e

t o Melanchthon .

During the mediaeval period of art , rings were set with gems

engraved with ” class ical subj ects , made to represent Scripture

characters as I s is personated the Virgin ; Jupiter, the Apostle

D IFFE R EN T K IN D S OF OR N A M E N TS . 7

John ; Serapis denoted our Lord ; and Cupids were used for

cherubs . The word bagues (rings) was formerly synonymous

with personal effect s or baggage ; hence , in capitulations , the

phrase,

“ sort ie vie et bagues sauves ," meant to depart with

l ife and rings safe—that is , with all one ’s personal property.

Perhaps the origin of theEnglish phrase , “ bag and baggage,

may be traced to the same source.

Ear- ring s.

—Jewel s for th e cars as wel l as the fingers havea great ant iquity, and have been worn in all ages for decorat ion ,

and somet imes for amulets ando

talisman s. The Pers ians and

Peruvians have always che rished a special fondness for th is

o rnament , and frequently wore them of large s ize and remarka

ble beauty. They const ituted an important art icle in the

regalia of their kings and rul ers , as may be learned from the

n umerous ear- rings found in the tomb of Cyrus , at Pasargadae ,

and from the narrat ives of the Spanish conquerors of Peru .

These j ewel s were sometimes made to be inserted in an orifice

p ierced in the lobes of the ear, which was enlarged fromt imeto t ime

,until of the necessary size , in stead of pending from

that organ , after the usual custom . They have in some instan

c es been regarded as the badge of servitude , as well as the

symbol of rank . The Jewish rabbies say that Eve was con

demn ed to have her ears bored after her expuls ion from Eden ,

as a s ign of her subj ection to her husband . If that i s true , she

had her revenge,in the great expense it entailed upon him to

supply the necessary j ewels . That they were worn by person s

o f both sexes and of all ages in ancient t imes is shown from the

great number of these ornaments among the Israelites , who

bestowed them l iberal ly to make the golden calf and the ephod

o f Gideon , unfortuna te offerings in both instances . After h is

defeat of the Midian ites , th is valiant warrior obtained as spoils

a collect ion of ear- rings , which altogether weighed o n e thou~

108 P R E CIOUS S TON ES .

sand seven hundred shekels o f gold . Job ’s friends,in the days

of his return ing prosperity, gave him an ear- ring apiece , imply

ing they were to be worn s ingly, or as mismated pairs .

Homer, who understood gods as wel l as men , adorn s Juno

with ear- j ewels , to capt ivate her inconstant spouse ; hence we

infer their use was famil iar to th e Greeks in hi s t ime. Pearl s

were the favorite gem for ear- ornaments , both with the Greek

and Roman ladies , though various kinds of prec ious s tones

were employed for th is purpose . The fash ion was carried to

such an exces s by the women o f the Roman Empire that the

guardians of the publ ic welfare fel t constrained to condemn

their luxurious habits in the most unequivocal language .

These j ewels were at on e t ime worn ln England in the form

of keys , a custom alluded to by S hakspeare .

Bracelets —Both armlets and bracelet s have been con sid

ered a necessary appendage of royalty, especially by orien tal

ists while in ancient Rome they were the symbols of honor or

the badge of servitude , according to the material of which they

were made , whether gold or iron . The bracelet , l ike the ear

and finger ring, can claim a high antiquity. The on e presented

to Rebekah weighed one Shekel , the value of which has been

v ariously est imated ; and those worn by the Sabines were of

such beauty and richness as to ensnare the unfortunate Tar

peia into betraying her country, and, as a penalty for her er1me ,she has ever s ince , according to legend, been compell ed to s it

spel lbound upon the Tarpeian Rock , in Rome, covered with

the j ewels she so much coveted .

The Assyrian kings are represented in the bas - rel iefs of

Nineveh adorned with bracelets ; and these ornaments have

been found in Egyptian remains inlaid with precious stones .

The use of j ewels by the ancient Egyptian s must have been

very general , s ince they bestowed them with a l iberal hand


I IO P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

Tavern ier describes the women o f Tonquin as being extrava

gan tly fond of adorning their persons with n ecklaces made of

coral and yellow amber ; those worn by the Hindoo princes

were mines of costly gems . A magnificent specimen,captured

by the Sultan Mahmoud , composed of large pearls,rubies

,and

other costly material s , was valued‘ at half a mill ion of dollars .

The story of Serena, wife of Stil icho , a prominent Roman of

the fifth century, affords a tragical il lustrat ion of the fasc ination

which precious stones have over some m inds,and the swift

retribution of a sacrilegious act under the Roman laws . A

necklace of costly gems placed as a sacred offering upon th e

statue of Vesta was coveted by th is high -born lady,who finally

appropriated the tempt ing j ewel,for which act of impiety she

was condemned by the Emperor Honorius to suffer death by

strangl ing,notwith standing her exalted rank . The most re ~

markable necklace of antiquity was that of Harmonia, who

received it,t ogether with the famous peplum , as a wedding gift

on the occas ion of the marriage of th is goddess to Cadmus .

I t proved a fatal j ewel to every mortal who was s o unfortunate

as t o posses s it . Polynices , who inherited the necklace , gave i t

to Eriphyle as an inducement to use her influence with

Amphiaraus,her husband , t o j oin the expedit ion against Thebes .

He yielded to her entreat ies and peri shed in the enterprise ,

according to h is own predict ion Alcmaeon , their son , killed his

mother and possessed himself of the ornament , but he came to

a tragical end , and , after changing owners several t imes, to all

of whom it proved disastrous , i t was dedicated to the gods in

the Temple at Delph i . The descript ion of th is necklace is given

by N on nus, a poet of the s ixth century , who says it was made

in the form of a serpent , with two heads bearing a golden eagle

with four win-

gs ; on e pinion was of orange j asper, another of

white moonstone,'

a third was made of pearl , and the fourth

D IFFE R E N T KI N D S OF OR N AM EN TS .I I I

o f Indian agate . A ruby reflected its lamp - l ike flame from the

heads of th e serpent, while the eyes where composed of

the lychnis,a fiery- red stone, and the r pendant consisted of an

emerald and a crystal surrounded by a sett ing represent ing

birds and fishes . Mr. Kin g says this necklace is the m ost

an cien t jewel on record , and th inks it . was not al together the

creat ion of the poet ’s fan cy, but the exaggerat ed reproduction

of some very ancient rel ic of preh istoric t imes . He suggests

the idea that the Greeks may have borrowed the legend from

the Assyrians , as the s erpent and the four-winged eagle were

Assyrian types , unknown to the.

Greeks .

S zlgn els or S eals.

—The origin of szlgr

z’

lla , or seals , has been

traced to th e I srael ites— it i s supposed , on account of th e

numerousHebrew words and t itles of the Dei tywhich occuron Gnost ic intagl i , but it is quite l ikely they were employed by

the Egyptians and Chaldaeans long before the birth of th e

Hebrew nat ion , s ince they have been found in the remains of

a very remote ant iquity . They were of different kinds some

times a single gem , set expressly for the purpose, and engraved

with different emblems , a motto , or the owner’s name , answered

for a s ignet , des igned to be suspended from the neck or arm ;

at other t imes , they con st ituted the stone of a finger- ring, and

with the Chaldaeans , they assumed the form of cyl inders .

Every Babylonian ,” says Herodotus , “ had a seal . How th i s

instrument came into use has been to ld byPerro t , somewhat inthe following manner : At fi rs t the j ewel -boxes were supplied

with pebbles from the beds of rivers , which were dril led through

the centre to be worn for ear- rings,bracelets

,and necklaces ,

many of these primit ive ornaments having been found in

Chaldaean and Assyrian tombs . But the art ists o f those t imes

were not long con tented with these s imple j ewels , and the fancy

to engrave some design upon them resul ted in a more finished


s tyle of work, so, from holding the mere rank o f ornament s,

these engraved gems became the legal instruments o f authori

tativ e documents , and the seal came into being. To invest it

w ith magical powers , the figure of a god was inscribed upon

it, and thus the seal answered the doub le purpose of giving

sanction to contracts , and servin g as a tal isman to the owner

in virtue of the representat ion of the deity it bore . The

subj ects for these engravings varied , but the favorite one was

t he triumph of th e gods over demons .

The cylinders used for s ignets , as wel l as person al orna

ments , by the Babylonians andAssyrians were , as a rule, from

t hree - fourths to two inches in length , with a surface general ly

convex , sometimes concave , engraved with intagl i, and drilled

t hrough the centre lengthwise, for the purpose Of attaching

them to the person . They were mostly cut in lapis- lazul i , j asper,

and other quartz gems , and sometimes hematite . The sub j ects

selected for these engraved seal s comprised both men and ani

mals , represent ing combats , and sacrifices to the gods . The

m anner of tak ing an impress ion with these cyl inders was by

rol l ing them over a lump of tempered clay laid upon the obj ect

t o be sealed, a pract ice to which Job alludes , when he compares

the heavens bristl ing with stars to these impressions . He

says , “ I t i s turned as clay to the seal . Cyl inders are found

in great numbers in the ru ins of Chaldaean and Assyrian cities .

The Pers ians made use of conical or sphero idal blocks of pre

c ious stones chalcedony and agate being employed most fre

quently—for their s ignets , as well as the Babylonian cyl inder.It

'

i s thought the early Greeks were unacquainted with the

use of s ignets , as Homer makes no allusion to them but they

w ere in vogue among the Romans , to make val id wills and

other writ ings , as they are at th e present day. They adopted

the Etruscan and Egypt ian u se of the scarab for thi s purpose,


I I4 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

Paris , and how an emetic was promptly administered , by which

the j ewel was recovered . I t has been stated there are more

paste copies of th is seal than of any other engraved gem,

doubtless on account of the ce lebrity of it s original owner.

Two different seals are used by the Roman Pontiff on e co n

s ists of a large ring,the an nulus piscatores bearing the effigy

of St . Peter drawing a net, used for briefs and private letters

the other, employed for bulls , has on on e s ide the heads of Peter

and Paul , with th e cross between them ,and on the other the

portrait of the reigning pontiff,and somet imes h is coat of arms .

At the death of the pope, h is seal s are broken , and new ones

are given to his successor by the city of Rome .

Brooones were worn by Etruscans,Romans

,and Saxons , for

tal ismans , and have been used s ince for ornaments . The

Brooch of Lorn was “ burn ing gold , s tudded fair with gems

of price.”

D iamond buttons,as fasten ings for the dres s , were used by

both'

sexes during the s ixteenth century but this custom , as a

prevail ing fash ion , has fallen into desuetude .

Cnaz'

n s.

—These o rnaments,embell i shed with all manner of

precious stones , have a great ant iquity, and const ituted an

indispensable part of the att ire of a court ier or public funct ion

ary. The chain was a symbol of invest iture used by Pharaoh ,

King of Egypt , and many centuries later by Belshazzar, King

o f Babylon , when Joseph and Daniel both Hebrews—wereadvanced to pos ition and power in the government . The chain

has ever s in ce been cons idered an important j ewel , either as an

emblem of rank or authority , or as an ornament , until , in

modern t imes,i t has become an essent ial adj unct to the watch

an invent ion of a comparat ively recent period.

CHAPTER VII .

S A CR ED U SE S OF P R EC IOU S STON E S .

PA GA N and Mohammedan , Jew and Chri st ian , have given

al ike,with unst inted generos ity, the choices t of earth ’s trea

sures to embell ish their temples , mosques , churches, sacred

vestments,emblems , and utens il s ; hence we find that prec

iou s stones have been consecrated to the purposes of rel igious

worship from a remote period down to the presen t t ime . Nor

have they been withheld from tombs , shrines , and other mem

orials for the dead which loving hands have reared to departed

friends . Among heathen nat ions , the most beaut ifu l and valu

able th ings were dedicated to their d ivinit ies . Whatever was

most rare and costly of the spoils taken in war, and whatever

was most magnificent and elegant in art , were devoted to

propit iate their favor, appease their anger, or as tokens o f

grat itude for bles s ings enj oyed . This was especially true in

the Roman Empire after her numerous conquests , when the

most costly gems collected from the different countries sub

j ugated by her powerfu l armies were poured into the sacred

t reasury at Rome, as free-will offerings .

Both Pompey and Caesar presented some of their riches t

spoils to the temples of their favorite gods . Pompey’

con se

crated the treasures ‘ captured from Mithridates , compris ing

rubies , topazes , emeralds , Opals , diamon ds , and stones of in

ferior rank, bes ides numerous rings, bracelets, and gold chains ,of exquis ite workmanship . Caesar devoted s ix caskets of

1 15

1 16 P R E CIOUS S TON E S .

his cho icest engraved gems to Venus, and Alexander Severus

dedicated to the same favored goddess gifts of pearl s of remark

able size and beauty, which had been presented to him by the

Pers ian envoy to Rome. Augustus and many other dist in

guished Romans gave freely, to maintain their nat ional relig

ion,vast stores of gold and precious stones .

The statues of the pagan divinit ies , as wel l as their temples

and shrines , were frequent ly adorned with these costly offer

ings, that o f Jupiter O lympus being a notable example . The

Syrian goddess Astarte was honored by mun ificen t gift s in

precious stones from her numerous worsh ippers , who vis i ted

her shrine from all the n at ions of the world .

These symbols of idolatry, th e images Of the gods, some

t imes served a double purpose—that of awakening the rel igiou s emot ion s of the laity, and securing gen erous offerings , and

at th e same time affording a secret h iding-place for these gifts ,

appropriated by the sacerdotal class . When Mahmoud wrested

the heathen temples of India from the Brahmin s,’

there was

found ins ide the celebrated statue Summat erected in Guzerat,

a vast accumulat ion of pearl s and different kinds o f preciou s

s tones,the donations to the god made by his unsuspect ing

worsh ippers,which the crafty priests had purlo ined and con

c ealed in the capacious stomach of the huge idol .

Gems were frequently devoted to sacred uses by having the

h ead of some d ivin ity engraved upon them , a custom prevalent

in Egypt,as we learn from gems cut in amethyst in the form

o f a pyramid bearing th e figure of th e god Serapis , an Egyptian

deity, though the temples and sacred rel ics of th is country

afford fewer examples of th e use of precious stones than the

ancient shrines and pagodas of India .

P recious S ton es of P aradise. All rel igious bel iefs have

in cluded gems in th e decorat ions of the future abode of the



green beryl , above which is laid a yellowish green topaz io n ,

thought to be either perido t ortopaz. The tenth stone is the

chrysoprase, of dark green hue, surmounted by the j acinth , of

rich crimson , and crowned by the purple amethyst .

The Hebrews employed prec ious stones to decorate the

sacerdo tal robes , the Tabernacle , and , later , the Temple at

J erusalem . King thinks it probable that the most ancient o f

al l authent ic sacred j ewels were those of the breastplate of the

J ewish h igh -priest , supposed to be the Urim and Thumm im ,

”

though what this was has been a disputed quest ion . The

words have been variously interpreted,

“ Light s and Perfec

t io ns , “ The Declarat ion ,” “ The Truth , and The O racl e of

Judgment .” Some commentators have maintained the opinion

that the Urim a nd Thummim was dist inct from the breastplate ,

and consisted of a blu e sapphire.

worn over it when the h igh

priest entered the Holy of Hol ies ” ; but the Jewish writers

probably understood better than any others the nature of their

own sacred symbols ,—Josephus applies th e myst ic words tothe breastplate itself.

This priestly ornament was.

a square of eight inches set with

twelve different gems engraved with the names of the tribes of

I srael , a stone for each tribe, arranged in four rows . Both

Josephus and the Vulgate give a different order from our

v ersion , but the stones are the same except the chrysol ite

substituted for the diamond . They are as follows - First

row : sard , red ; topaz, yellowish green ; smaragdus (emerald) ,

bright green . Second row : carbuncle, red ; sapph ire , blue ;j asper

,green . Third row : l igure, yellow ; achates (agate) ,

black and white ; amethyst , purple. Fourth row : chrysol ite ,

yellow onyx, blue and black beryl, pale green or blue .

Josephus says these stones shot forth brill iant rays o f fire to

denote the presence of the Deity, but th is power ceased two

S A CR ED USE S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 1 19

hundred years before his day, in consequence.

of the S ins of h is

people .

The fi rs t breastplate'

made for Aaron was lost during the

Babylonian capt ivity ; therefore, after the restoration o f the Jews ,

i t was necessary to replace it by a n ew one, an exact copy of

the original except the inscript ions, which in the firs t were in

the Hebrew language,but in the last in Chaldee, or Syro - Chal

dee . The second breastplate fell into the hands of the Romans

at the capture of Jerusalem ,and , after be ing exhibited with

o ther sacred treasures in the triumphal procession , i t was

depos ited in the Temple of Concord at Rome . When the

Empire was overthrown , thes e sacred trophies were scattered

among the victors , and their authenti c h istory ends with this

event . Several hypotheses have been put forward respect ing

their final dispos it ion . On e i s that they were returned to

J erusalem and were captured by the Persian s'

in the seventh

c entury ; another account relates that they were carried to

Babylon, then back to Jerusalem , then to Rome , from there to

Carthage, thence to Constantinople, then back again to the

Jewish capital , and finally to Persia, and may poss ibly be found

in the royal treasury at Teheran. What . a remarkable h istory

these memorials have had—fit types of the nation to whichthey belonged.

An interesting subj ect for speculat ion has been suggested

regarding the gems of the fi rst breastplate,which is that they

may have been reset for the Babylon ian or Assyrian kings , as

they were of large s ize and great intrinsic value,as well as

obj ect s of interest , and may poss ibly be recovered , an event no

more remarkable than the preservat ion of the seal s n ow in

exis tence bearing the name of Thothmes I I I . , supposed to be

c ontemporary with Moses .

Some idea can be formed of the richness of the furn ish ings


for the Tabernacle by the abundance of the vo luntary offerings

of bracelets , ear- rings , tablets or pendants , and other j ewels,presented by the Israel ite s for th is purpose during their exile

in the wilderness .

The figure twelve appears to have been a favorite symbol

with the ancients , who represented different obj ects or events

by twelve different prec ious s tones—as the tribes of I srael , themonths of the year, and other subj ect s d ivided into the same

number of parts . Twelve gems engraved with anagrams of the

name Jehovah , were employed by the Cabalists to predict

zodiacal s igns , and , under the Christ ian dispensat ion , different

spec ies were used to designate the twelve apostles , the Christ ianl

virtues , and other rel1g10us ideas . The diamond symbolized

l ife, j oy, and innocence the ruby, div ifi'

e power and love ; the

sapphire, heaven, virtue , truth , and con stan cyt the emerald ,

hOpe, faith , and victory ; the amethyst, suffering, sorrow ,love

,

peace , humil i ty, purity, and modesty ; th e topaz, the goodness .

of God ; the carbun clejour Lord

’

s Passion .

The official vestments of the prelates in the Christian

churches of th e Middle Ages often represented fortunes of

costly gems,frequently the gift s

[

of devout princes and n obles .

I sabella,queen of Edward I I . , presented to Pope John a cope

embro idered with pearl s ; Henry I I I . gave a mitre to the Bishopof Hereford enriched with gems valued at several thousand

dollars,and other s im ilar donations were made by persons of

rank to the h igher eccles iast ics of the Roman Church . Shrines ,

rel iquaries,crosses , vases , and other art icles employed in

rel igiou s services , were more or les s embell ished with rich

ornaments of precious stones . A gold chal ice garnished with

them , found in 1846 , near Chalons - sur- Saone , now depos ited in

the Museum of Antiquit ies , at Paris , affords an illustrat ion of

th is pract ice of the mediaeval period of art .



the saint, the sceptre and sword of Dagobert , together with the

g old eagle forming the clasp to h is mantle , all garn ished with

sapph ires , rubies , emeralds , and other prec ious stones , besides

numerous shrines , cros ses , and Chalice s , s im ilarly ornamented ,and the famous agate vessel known as Ptolemy’s drinking

cup, called , also , Abbot S uger’

s Chal ice, st ill in existence .

The other treasures were lost during some Of the intest ine

wars which have S O Often distracted this coun try. Louis VI .

a nd h 1s m in ister, the Abbot Suger, endowed this church with

heavy plate, resplendent with enamel and prec ious stones ,bes ides other gifts , including a famou s crucifix, upon which s ix

o r seven artists were employed in its decorat ion for two years ,the gems having been donated for that purpose by different

monasteries and other rel igious houses . The crucifix disap

peared, and is supposed to have been appropriated by the

Leaguers , during the last of th e sixteenth century. Louis VI I .

followed the example Of his predecessor in h is pious offerings ,

which comprised various art icle s ornamented with ant ique

gems,several of which have escaped the destruct ion of their

less favored contemporaries .

Spain was once very Opulent in ecclesiast ical j ewel s ; but ,

like those of France , they have , to a great extent , been scat

t ered or lost during her c ivil and foreign wars . The Cathedral

o f Seville and the Church of the Escurial were celebrated for

t heir immense treasures in j ewels ; while the Cathedral Of

Toledo surpassed even Sainte Chapelle , at Paris , in the

richness and splendor of it s shrines , covered al l over with

precious stones . The figure of the Virgin seated on a rock

o verspread with jewel s , wore on high fest ival s a gold crownradiant with enamel and gems , surpas sing in splendor every

royal d iadem in the world . The top of thi s crown was adorned

w ith a superb emerald,wh ich was seized by Marshal Junot , to

S A CR ED USE S OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S .1 23

whom the treasures of the cathedral were shown. The sacred

o fferings of the Cathedral of Saragossa, though exceedingly

rich in pearl s and precious stones , were more fortunate in

escaping the dispers ion which befell the treasures of o the‘

r

Spanish churches during the French invasion of 1 809.

The Church of the Virgin del Pilar, a superb edifice, was

exceedingly affluent in prec ious stones . South Ken s ington

Museum contains a collection of j ewel s purchased from it s

t reasury, including more than five hundred , all ornamented

with diamonds , pearls , rubies , and emeralds . The Cathedral

o f Naples is the repository Of - the crown of St . Januarius , the

patron of the c ity,which is embell ished with three thousand

six hundred and ninety gems ; and the Certosa of San Mart ino,

i n the same c ity,is a marvel in the profus ion of it s gem - deco

rat ions . The Wenzel Chapel of the Cathedral of Prague i s

inlaid with Bohem ian precious stones ; and a very large gilt

c rucifix studded with gems is seen in the chapel of the O ld

royal palace at Berl in . The cross of King L o tharius,a work

o f the Carlovingian period (751 preserved in the Cathe

dral of Aix- la-Chapelle , i s ornamented with arabesque tracery

o f pearls , rubies , sapph ires , emeralds, and amethysts . A t the

in tersectlon of the arms of the cros s is placed a cameo in onyx,

three inches by two and one- half, representing the bust of

Augustus . The king’

s s ignet on rock- crystal bears the date of

A . D . 823.

The Certosa di Pavia, the churches of San Ambrogio , Milan ,Or San Michele , Florence , and Santa Maria Maggiore , Rome ,

are only a few of the numerous instances of the use of pre

c lous stones for th e decorat ion of rel igious buildings. The

h igh altar of San Ambrogio st ill retains it s antique rel iefs on

s ilve r and gold embell i shed with gems,a work of the eighth

c entury. A cross , with several crystal vases , - the work of

I 24 P R E CI OUS S TOIVE S .

Valerio Vicentino , presented to the Church of San Loren zo ,are seen at Florence. The old Cathedral of St . Paul , London ,contained offerings of costly gift s, in the form of rel iquaries

studded with gems , and shrines covered with gold and precious

stones ; while Croyland Abbey became the repos itory o f many

royal gifts , compris ing a globe covered with gems o f “ dazzl ing

lustre,from the King of France, aud an altar- cloth embro id

ered with pearl s , the offering of Pope Leo IV .

The Roman churches and monas teries were far surpassed in

costly endowments by these of the Greek Church , whose numer

ous chapels , convents , and other rel igious houses on Mount

Athos afford an example of the Opulen ce of th is sect in church

deco rat ions . On e of the monasteries on this mount claims

the honor of posses sing the girdle of the Virgin ornamented

with diamonds and pearl s ; another contains the veritable cros s ,

set with diamonds and emeralds o f remarkable size ; a th ird

cherishes with great venerat ion this emblem of the Christian

faith,garnished with diamonds only while a fourth is endowed

w i th two magnificent crosses covered with gems .

The churches , monasteries , and other rel igious buildings of

the Russian Empire are all profusely decorated with prec ious

stones . The centre of every door in the Hall of St . Elizabeth ,

i n Moscow,says Bayard Taylor, i s ornamented with a Maltese

cross of large d iamonds ; and .the Cathedral of the Archange l

Michael , in the same city, writes Mr. Ham l in, contains ancien t

rel iquaries enriched with a profusion of splendid gems , includ

ing a large number of magnificen t emeralds and diamonds,

while the sacerdotal robes are loaded with j ewels o f the cost

l iest nature . The patriarchal m itre is all ablaze with brill iant

d iamonds , rubies , sapph ires , emeralds , and pearls , const itut inga d iadem exceeding five pounds in weight . The convents are ,

many of them , mines of precious stones,and depos itories of



an inscription on a pedestal supposed to belong to the statue of

I sis , found at Alicante , Spain .

The tomb of St . Charles Borromeo , at Milan , i s remarkable

for the richness of material and the skil l in workmanship dis

played in its construction . I ts columns of choic e marble are

crowned with gold capital s and draped with crimson dam

ask hangings embroidered with gold . The coffin , made o f

rock- crystal , and ornamented with the same preciou s metal ,

encloses the remains of the sain t wrapped in sumptuous

robes of the richest fabrics,and in h is skeleton hands

he holds a cros ier embell ished with gems and surmounted

with a gold mitre . Above the coffin is suspended a crown

of precious stones,while the h istory Of the deceased i s

del ineated in bas - rel iefs o f sol id s ilver. The tomb of

Charlemagne was a store -house of j ewel s and plate . At his

canonization in 1 166, between three and four centuries after

h is death,his remains were placed in a golden chair during the

ceremony,after having been arrayed in imperial robes and

diadem ,girded with a j ewell ed sword , and holding a sceptre in

on e hand and a gold sh ield in th e other, both garnished with

prec ious stones . These in signia of the dis t inguished saint

were entombed with the remains , but most o f them were

appropriated subsequently by Frederick Barbarossa . Ivan IV. ,

Czar of Russia,ordered two hundred and fifty thousand dollars

worth of gems to be buried with the body of h is own son ,

whom he had murdered .

The Moslems n o t unfrequently offered the costl ies t t reasures

gath ered from the different countries of the globe , to their

departed friends . The Tay Mahal or mausoleum , buil t by

Shah Jehan at Agra,in th e seventeenth century, for h is favor

ite wife , which has been often described by writers and travel~

lers , was the most magnificent in Ind ia, and , probably, in the

S A CR ED US ES OF P R E CI OUS S TON E S .127

world.I t required the labor of twenty thousand workmen

for seventeen years to complete it , and contributions of

precious stones from every part of h is extensive empire to

adorn it “ Jasper from the Punjaub, carnel ians from Broach ,

turquo ise from Thibet,agates from Yemen, lapis - lazul i from

Ceylon,coral from Arabia

,garnets from Bundelcund, dia

monds from Pun n ah , rock- crystal from Malwar, onyx from

Pers ia,chalcedony from Asia Minor, and sapphires from

Colombo .

” Garlands composed of gem flowers , borders con

s ist ing of precious stones in imitation of natural vegetation ,the most del icate work inlaid with mosaics of these valuable

p roduct ions,were all displayed upon th is world- renowned

mausoleum .

S firin es.

—These receptacles of venerated rel ics , cheri sh edboth by pagan and Christ ian

,were often garn ished with th e

precious metals , combined with every species o f gems the

decorator could make use of. The shrine of th e Syrian goddes s

Astarte at Hel iopol i s became on e of the most celebrated of

antiqu ity, and the most”

cost ly ornaments were employed for its

decorat ion . The worsh ip of th is divinity was celebrated by

devotees from nearly every n at ion of the globe , while her

sacrifices were so numerous as to require the constant services

of three hundred priests

With these in tr00psCame A shtoreth , whom the Phoen icians call

’d

A starte, queen ofHeav ’n with crescen t horn sTo who se bright image n ightly by the moon

S idon ian virgins paid their vows and songs.

”

Portabl e shrines , often miniature copies of some famous

temple with the image of the idol,were common among heathen

nat ions , as the s ilver shrines of the Temple of Diana at

Ephesus , about wh ich such an uproar was made in the t ime of


Pau l . The richest shrine in existence, i t hasbeen said , i s found

in a great temple on an island near the coast of India, dedicated

to the god Vishnu , who i s sometimes called the Indian Apollo .

The j ewel s consecrated to h im are of priceles s value,embracing

crowns , breastplates , armlets , necklaces , and other o rnaments ,

set with diamonds , rubies , sapphires , emeralds , topazes , opals ,

and pearlsf A single n ecklace is computed at three hundred

thousand dollars , and a net to cover the god’s umbrella i s

interwoven with a vast number of colored pearls ,—on e hundred

and twenty- five thousand , so i t i s stated . Mediaeval Christ ians ,

in imitat ion of pagan customs , carried small sh rines covered

with j ewels in their rel igious processions,a practice exist ing in

s ome countries at the present day. Many of the shrines of

Italy and Spain ,

‘

and some of France,have escaped destruction ,

and are to be seen in many of the museums o f curious rel ics .

T he shrine of St. Denis , on e of the most celebrated in Europe ,

was honored by gift s from dist inguished prince s and nobles

b oth n at ive and fore ign ; the Dukes of Burgundy and O rlean s

presented at different t imes mun ificen t offering s in prec ious

s tones , thus making it o n e of the riches t , as well as the most

famous , in Christendom . The shrine of the Three Kings of

Cologne, Gaspar,Melch ior

,and Balthazar

,—a work o f th e

e leventh century, was o rnamented with engraved gems of

various kinds . The skeletons of these kings were crowned

w ith diadems of gold and precious stones , with their names

del ineated in rubies ; but these have been replaced by gilt ,s ilver, and pastes .

Probably n o sh rine of modern Europe has had a wider

c elebrity for its vot ive offerings from all clas ses of d evotees ,

princes , nobles , priests and peasants , than that o f Loretto , i n

Italy . Among the royal votaries were Queen Henrietta Maria,w ho presented a golden heart set with diamonds

,and Christ ina,



stru cture of its kind, consist ing of two stories , and is an

illust ration o f many others of a s imilar character. The lower

apartment was ornamented with the more common decorat ive

stones, as marble , alabaster, serpent ine , and porphyry, whil e

the upper, which enclosed the effigy of the saint , was

embell ished with the costl iest materials,— gold and prec ious

stones ; the offerings were usually arranged about the

basement of the shrine.

CHAPTER VII I .

P R ECIOU S STON ES IN L ITE R A TU R E . THE IR MYSTICAL

P R OPE R T IE S .

OBJECTS as beautifu l and as.valuab le as gems wou ld, natur

ally,claim the attention of writers from the earl iest t imes

,

e ither as rhetorical figures or as themes for sc ient ific and

l i t erary invest igat ion and description . The names of many of

these writers have come down to us from antiqu ity, e ither as

h istorical or tradit ional characters , but of whose writings

noth ing now remains . Pliny c ites th irty- s ix ancient writers

on precious stones , yet noth ing of al l the ir productions on th i s

subj ect before h is t ime, i s extant except the works of Theo

phrastus, B . C . 300. The so - called O rpheus , whose “ L ithika”

has been ascribed by some crit ics to an Asiat ic Greek of the

fourth century,was wri tten , th inks Mr. King, by the author of

th e “A rg0n autica,’ Apollonius R hodius, B . C . 222- 18 1 , j udg

ing from the style and close resemblance of the two poems .

In the l ist of early writers on precious stones or those who

have referred to their uses , we find the ' n ames of Herodotus ,

Democritus , Theophrastus , Pl iny, Zoroaster, S olinus, and

Quintus Curt ius , bes ides many of the poet s and others of l es s

note. Perhaps of all the ancient writers , none have used them

more frequently or more effect ively as figures of rhetoric , than

those of the sacred scriptures,more ful ly il lustrated in the

chapter on“ Sacred Uses of Precious Stones .” Secular

writers make frequent use of them for embell ishment ; in131


the “ M etamorphoses , Ovid thus describes the palace of the

sun

The prin cely palace o f the sun sto od gorgeo us to beho ldOn stately pillars builded high o f yellow burn ished go ld ,Beset with sparklin g carbun cles, that like to fire do shin e ,The ro of was framed curio usly o f yourice pure and fin e .

”

According to Palmgen ius, the “ City of the Moon

rivall ed in splender the “ Palace o f the Sun . He says

The lofty walls o f diamond strongWere raised high and framedThe bulwarks built of carbun cle

That allas fire glowed.

”

The hal l of a magical palace described in the Gesta Roma

norum,

” was decorated with pearls diamonds , rubies , and other

gems,

“ glisten ing l ike coals of fi re .

Marco Polo says precious stones were abunda nt in Ceylon ,

a statement corroborated by modern travellers ; but for his

descript ion of a ruby belonging to the royal treasury,which

was a palm in length and o f the s ize of a man ’s arm , he must

have drawn largely upon his imaginat ion . This ruby was

undoubtedly a remarkabl e gem,s ince it has been mention ed by

other travellers,some of whom thought it was a hyacinth , and

not a ruby,of the size and form of a pine cone , and placed on

the summit o f a pagoda so as to be seen at a distance ; but

the most marvel lous precious stone of the old chron iclers was a

carbuncle belonging to th e King of Pegu , with a brill iancy so

penetrat ing that it rendered the bodies of bystanders trans

parent .

Sir John Mandeville‘ of the th irteenth century, who saw

more wonderful th ings than most travel l ers , describes the

palace of the Great Khan of Tartary as of e ught gold and

prec ious stones -u with hangings of s ilk, gold , and pearls. The



Pass ing from the marvellous n arrat ives of early travellers to

the no less wonderful descript ions of contemporary poets,we

find that prec ious stones held no subordinate rank in works of

the imaginat ion . Lydgate , writ ing in the fifteenth century,

represents in h is poem “ On the S iege of Troy,” the wal l s of

that c ity twenty cub its h igh , made of marble and alabaster

adorned at every angle with a crown of gold set with

the richest gems ; the windows of th e royal palace were

wrought with beryl and crystal . A magical tree twelve

cubit s in height , whose branches of gold and s ilver over

shadowed the plain , produced blos soms of different- colored

gems , which were renewed every day. The . Troj ans antici

pat ed mediaeval arch itecture by many centuries , s ince Hector

was buried near the age altar of the principal cn‘

urc/z

o f Troy. In Dyer’s “ Golden Fleece the palace of Priam

was paved with crystal garnished with diamonds , sapph ires ,

emeralds,and o ther precious stones , while the hall was

lighted by an enormous carbuncl e set with other gems on

the gold crown of a gigant ic statue of Jupiter, fifteen feet

in height .

Chaucer,Hawes

,and Shakespeare al l refer to the super

n atural brill iancy of th e carbuncle—an idea borrowed from

Arabian romances . Hawes pictures a hall of j asper, with

crystal windows,and roof overhung with a gold vine bearing

ruby grapes,which had its s im il itude some centuries later, at

the palace of the Mogu l emperors . Spenser plants a golden

vine in Mammon’s subterranean isle, which yielded hyacinth s ,

emeralds , and rubies . Ben Jonson ’s “ A lchymist presents u s

with agate dishes studded with emeralds , sapph ires , hyacinths ,

and rubies ; and spoons of amber, ornamented with diamonds

and carbuncles . M arbodus, or M arboeuf, Bishop of Rennes , of

the eleventh century,in a poem called the

P R E CI OUS S TON E S 11V L I TE R A TUR E .135

earl iest didact ic poem , i t i s said, s ince class ic t imes , has given

a history of precious stones and their myst ic powers as they

were accepted in h is t ime ; th is poem became the“ tex t-book

o n mineralogy for five centuries .” The author derived"

h is

theories ch iefly from his predecessors , especially Pliny, thePseudo -Orpheus , and S olinus. The “ Lapidarium treats o f

the supernatural properties of stones , their color, and some

o ther phys ical characterist ics . Some extract s from this long

poem will i llustrate the prevail ing theories of that period

respecting the nature and powers of precious s tones , which

the discoveries of modern sc ien ce have proved to be no t only

e rroneous, but absurd .

The virtues and natural qual it ies of some of them are thus

expressed

Tlie D iamond. Hardn ess in vin cible which naught can tame ;U n touched by steel , uncon quered by the flame.

N ow regal shapes, n ow gods its face adorn ;S uch the famed A gate by King Pyrrhus worn ;I t gifts the pleader with persuasive art,

To move the court and touch the hearer’5 heart.Of seven teen species can the Jasper boast ;Of differing co lors, in itself a host.Fit on ly for the han ds o f kings to wearWith purest azure S hin es the S apphire rare.

U n like the jasper, o f this precious stoneThree hues alon e are un to merchan ts kn own .

Of allgreen things which boun teous earth supp lies,N o thing in green n ess with the Emerald vies.

The Sard and Onyx in on e n ame un ite ,A nd from their un ion spring three co lors bright.The n ame of On yx

,as grammarian s teach,

Comes from the usage o f the Grecian speech.

Cheapest o f gems, it may n o Share of fameFor any virtue save its beauty claim .

The goldenC hrysolite a fiery blazeM ixed w ith the hues o f o cean

’s green disp lays.

Cut with six facets shin es the Beryl bright,E lse a pa le duln ess clo uds its native light.

136

Lyncurz'

um.

Cbrysoprase.


From seas remo te the yel low TOpaz came ;

Fo un d in the islan d of the self-same name.

M idst o ther treasures to adorn the ringThis gem from A fric’s burn ing san ds they bring.

A s leaves of leek in mingled shadows blen t,Or purp le dark with go lden stars bespren t.The gem , if rarer, were a precio us prize ;But n ow, too common , it n eglected liesLycia her Jet in medicine commends ;But chiefest that which distan t Brito n sen ds.

Black , light, and po lished, to itself it draws,If warmed by frictio n , n ear adjacen t straws.

The Lo destone peace to wrangling coup les gran ts,A ndmutual lo ve in wedded hearts imp lan ts.

Won dro us its power, so Zoroaster sings.

A nd to the wearer sure pro tection brings.

Fate has with virtues great its n ature graced ;Tied roun d the n eck or on the finger p laced .

L ike to the burn ing coal when ce comes its n ame ;

Among the Greeks as A n thrax kn own to fame.

S urpassing amber in its go lden hue ,I t straws attracts, if Theophrast says true.

This ston e, they say, is fo un d with scarlet dyed ;Hid on the margin o f old o cean’s tide.

From clashing clouds the wo n dro us gem is thrownHen ce styled in Grecian to ngue the Thun der-ston e.

TheHe lio trope , a gem that turn s the sun ;

From its strange power the n ame has j ustly won .

Of red and rusty hue , in A fric fo und,Or in A rabia, or in Lybian groun d.

True to its n ame, theHexacon taliteIn o n e smal l orb do th sixty

/

m s un ite .

N o virtue has it, but it brightly gleamsWith emerald green , andwel l the go ld beseems.

Crystal is ice through coun tless ages grown(S o teach the wise) to hard transparen t stone.

Its form six-sided, ful l of heaven ’s own light,Has j ustly gained the n ame o f rainbow bright.

Prized as an orn amen t, its whiteness gleams,A ndwel l the robe , and wel l the go ld beseems.

Opaque in hue , with th’ emerald’s vivid green ,I t charms the sight first in A rabia seen .

By n ight a shin ing fire ; it lifeless liesLike go lden ore when day il lumes the skies.


I 38 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

some acquaintance with these not ions neces sary to an in telli

gent understan ding o f such references . En dowed as they

have been,by the greatest ph ilosophers of antiquity, with l ife

and mysterious qual it ies , i t is natural they should have been

invested with godl ike attributes , and regarded as a kind of

divinity by the superst it ious , who are to be found in every

age .

~ 4 A bel ief in the efficacy of precious stones for tal ismans

has been cherished, to a greater or les s extent , by individual s

among all nat ions , beginning with the oriental , and spreading

westward over the cont inent of Europe, so that in the Middle

A ges it became a universal doctrine,traces of which st ill

linger in certain communities . This popular idea is devel

Oped in the Speculum Lapideum of Camillo Leonardo , of the

s ixteenth century.

The magical powers of the so - cal led diamond ball of Dr.

D ee, a contemporary astrologer and mathematic ian , were

general ly accredited,and served to s trengthen the common

b el ief. This bal l,now preserved in the Brit ish Museum , i s

m ade of rock- crystal and may have been similar to the globe ,

says King,which const ituted the R hombus or Turbo used

by witches i n their incantat ions , and referred to by Horace

in th e l ine

R everse the magic wheel and break the spell .

T he cuneiform inscript ions of Assyria refer to s even black

stones wh ich personified the same number of planets, obj ects

o f adoration in the principal temples . This worship was widely

spread in Syria and Arabia,where remains of th is superstit ion

st il l exist . Probably the famous “ black stone"

of the Kaaba,

a sacred shrine in the great mosque at Mecca , i s a rel ic of

this pract ice , Since it was an obj ect of popular reverence long

b efore the time of Mahomet , who made a skilful use of th is

P R E CI OUS S TON E S I N L I TE R A TUR E .139

fanat ic ism to establ ish and perpetuate his own system,by

plac ing the ston e in the northeast corner of the shrine, to be

kissed by pilgrims . I t i s described as a dark basalt or lava,

perhaps an aérol ite , of an oval shape, four feet in the largest

diameter and two in the shortest— some say,‘

seven inches .

Tradit ions about the wonderful stone of the Kaaba,called

the Kiblah or Keblah , assume many different vers ions . I t

was one of the precious stones of Paradise, which fell to earth

o n the advent of Adam , but was lost and subsequent ly restored

by the angel Gabriel . The more popular op in ion maintained

that it was originally the guardian an gel appointed to watch

o ver Adam in Paradise, but changed into a stone and expelled

with h im for not having been more vigilant . At the resurrec

t ion , th is stone will assume its angel ic form and appear as a

w itness before God in favor of all faith ful Moslems who made

a pilgrimage to Mecca . When fi rs t placed in the Kaaba, it

was a j ac inth of “ dazzl ing whiteness , but it became gradu

ally blackened by the contact of p olluted l ips . The southeast

c orner of the second shrine is occupied by another venerated

stone , which pilgrims are allowed to touch but not kis s .

The serpent has been invested with mysterious powers from

t ime immemorial , which may have been partly in consequence

o f the gems supposed to be concealed in his head. Some of

these subtle creatures have possessed eyes of j acinth , others

have been decorated with rings or collars of emeralds , while

Milton ’s serpent had eyes of carbuncle. The famous Draco

n ius ,” derived from the head of the dragon , was a black stone

which possessed the attributes of absorbing poison and of

rendering it s owner invincible . The toad “ wears a precious

j ewel in his head ” hence we have a toadstone, an antidote for

poison,as well as an indispensable agent in the performance o f

c ertain superst it ious rites .


Sovereigns and mighty conquerors have no t been exempt

from the weaknesses of common humanity , we must bel ieve ,when we read of the1r care to posses s the Bez oa or Beza stone

,

obtained from a wild animal of Arabia, and used as a charm

against plague and po i son . Tavernier alludes to thi s stone and

ascribes it s origin to goats and apes . He tel ls us how to

detect the genuine from the false Bez oa, as so important a

stone would have it s counterfeits . There are two infall ible

tes ts : one is to place it in the mouth , and if i t i s genu ine, it

wi ll give a leap and fix itself on the palate ; the other cons ists

in placing the stone in a glass of water, and if a true Bez oa, the

water will boil .

Four Beza stones are enumerated among the treasures o f

the Emperor Charles V. after h is death , and one great Beza

stone, set in gold, which had belonged to Queen Elizabeth , was

counted among the j ewels of James I . With all i ts wonderful

powers , it could not save the Constable of France from a

t ragical end . Condemned to d ie , j ust before his execut ion , he

removed from his neck a Bez oa which he had long worn as a

charm,to be given to h is son as h is dying legacy. I t was

sometimes prescribed by the medical facul ty as a remedy for

disease, as in the case of Lorenzo de Medici , but without any

efficacy to save the l ife of the dist ingu ished invalid .

The Bez oa stone , sometimes cal led the stone of Jachen ,

has been represented as of large s ize and great beauty , of a

b luish white color crossed by wh ite veins , and so hard that i t

could be worked only with diamond powder. I t was some

t imes out int o cups and other vessel s , which were embell ished

with carved figures and gold ornaments .

Precious stones have not been wanting for nearly all the ills

o f l ife,and have been obtained , according to t radit ion , from the

v ulture, eagle , swallow,raven

,tortoise , hyena, stork, and even



o f the beryl are not unfrequent ly alluded to in l iterature when

i t was “ charged in set forms , i t received the attribute of

reveal ing secrets , past and future ; consequently it was

employed in certain rites practised in witchcraft,and might

have been used for that purpose by Michael Scot,the famous

necromancer of the th irteenth century. Engraved gems

represent ing certain characters were powerful in expell ing

diseases and exorcis ing evil spirit s ; the Virtues of the agate

for such ben eficen t purposes were very generally recognized

throughout Christendom during the Middle Ages . I t is said

that a sapphire was kept in the old church of St . Paul ,

London , for the expres s obj ect of curing disorders of the eyes .

Most of the legends and tradit ions about the supernatural

powers of gems introduced into Greece and Rome were

embodied in beaut iful works of art represented on engraved

gems , by which the efficiency of these qual it ies was greatly

augmented . A diamond bearing a so ld ier’s head insured

victory ; a ruby with the figure of an orator was a guaranty for

riches and honor ; a sapphire representing a musician advanced

it s owner to a posit ion of gieat‘ dign ity ; while a sard or an

amethyst engraved with the figure of a warrior stren gthened

the memory.

I t was a common bel ief that a serpent was made instantly

bl ind by looking at an emerald . Moore al ludes to this in“ Lal la Rookh ” in the couplet

Blin ded like serpen t when they gazeU pon the emerald’s virgin blaze.

”

The Shah of Persia owns a diamond , so it i s reported , which

renders h im invincible, and another which forces a confess ion

from conspirators,—two important aids for sovereigns of the

present day. King Solomon possessed a ruby which gave h im

power over demons and genii,and revealed to h im whatever h e

P R E CI OUS S TON ES I N L I TE R A TUR E .143

des ired to know in heaven and upon earth . This learned

natural is t says,Divers are the virtues of stones ,

”which leads

us to infer that he accepted the popular theories on th is topic .

It was the prevaling Opin ion in ancient t imes that preC1ous

stones were endowed with organic l ife, that they breathed, and

had the power to increase or d im inish their s ize at will .

Pythagoras endowed them with soul s , Theophrastus with sex,

Dioscorides with marvellous powers Plato bel ieved they were

produced by,

fermentat ion ; and Cardan thought they were

subj ect to i l lness , old age, and death .

The diamond was one of the mos t marvel lous of al l the

gems,being propagated

,according to Sir John Mandeville, in a

manner s im ilar to organic beings ; that i t was important in

defen sive armor we are apprised in “ Paradise Lost .” Chaucer, in

h is Romance of the Rose,” al ludes to the supernatural powers

of gems . The San Graal , celebrated in poetry and romance by

the writers of the Middle Ages, and the obj ect of rel igious

veneration for many centuries, was a cup made of a s ingle

stone , thought to be an emerald , detached from the crown of

Satan when he fel l from heaven , and was used at the celebra

t ion of the Last Supper, and, subsequently, t o receive the

blood of Chris t when expiring upon the cross .

Both N ewton and Boyle , two of the most eminent Eng

l ish ph ilosophers , are said to have given some credit to th e

popular belief in the medic inal qual it ies of precious stones .

If th is was true, i t was probably in the sense that some

o ther mineral substances are - used for curat ive purposes ,

and not because they were endowed with any marvellou s

properties .

In its early h istory,science was closely all ied to superst it ion ,

when al l the laws and forces of nature were invested with

mysterious powers , and no material substance , perhaps , was


en dowed with so many of these as prec ious stones . This

a ccounts , in part, for the ir influence over the imaginat ion

during the mediaeval period of intellectual s lumber, but

fortunately modern science has di spelled these fancies , and at

the same time has revealed their true character, which presents

t hem in a l ight n o less in terest ing and remarkable.


I46 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

al l of which could have been preserved so effectual ly in n o

other way. There seems to be quite a difference of Opinion as

to the origin of gem - engraving, some writers having ascribed

it to the Eth iopians some , with more probabil ity , to the Egypt ians ; while others are divided between the Chaldaeans and th e

Assyrians . Cesn ola says the latter afford , beyond all quest ion ,

the earliest examples of the true process of engraving on hard

stones , the Egyptian intagl i being merely incised with th e

graver in much les s obdurate materials . On the other han d ,

M . Perrot believes Chaldman engraving must have been among

the oldest of the kind , if not the earl iest ; while that o f th e

Assyrians , l ike their sculpture and arch itecture, was imported

from Babylonia .

The wheel for cutt ing came into use in Chaldaea about th e

eighth century, B . C. , though engraving on precious stones was

understood ages before . By this art , much of their h istory has

been transmitted to posterity, as well as their rel igious bel iefs ,

represented by the figures of their d ivin ities and sacred

emblems carved in cyl inders,cones

,scarabei , rings , tablets , and

other obj ects . The material s first employed for this purpos e

were wood , bone, shell, marble, and steatite late r, the harde r

substances , such as serpent ine, porphyry, basalt , syenite , hema

tite,bronze , and, finally, the same class of prec ious stones that

were subsequently used for engraving among the Greeks

and Romans . A fine cylinder in the New York Museum of

Art represents Izdubar and Hea -bani,the Hercules and

Theseus of Chaldaean mythology, engaged in a hand - to -hand

contest with a wild bul l and a l ion . I t was cut on marble, or

porphyry, and dates some fi fteen centuries before our era .

The product ion of Babylon ian cyl inders const ituted a

national indust ry, carried on for many centuries ; while the

cities‘ of Ur, Erech , and Arade, became famous school s of

E N OR A V I N G ON P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 47

engraving.The Chaldaeans , at a later period , made use of

seal s , cut in hard stones , in the form of cones , pyramids , and

spheroids,which were more easily handled than cylinders .

The cone was engraved in intaglio , on the base, with subj ects

les s varied than those upon cyl inders but , like them , they had

no types in nature , and were such as were represented in the

Chaldaean cosmogony. About four hundred of these cones are

in the Briti sh Museum,and as many more in Paris , nearly al l

of them cut in carnel ian or chalcedony of a fine blue t int .

There is no question but that. the Egyptians early acqu ired

the art of engraving, as the I srael ites must have obtained their

knowledge of it from them during their long res idence in

Egypt . There are tradit ions among the rabbies that Chael , on e

of the Hebrews , while j ourneying in the Wildernes s , engraved

precious stones with astronomical s igns , and described thei r

h istory and magical powers , and that Moses engraved the

stones of the breastplate with the b lood of the worm called

which some writers have interpreted to mean the

adamas,while others maintain that the Hebrew word for dia

mond is derived from a d ifferent root , s ignify ing “ to smite .

”

The earl iest h istorical engraved gems are generally bel ieved to

have been those in the firs t breastplate of the Jewish h igh

priest , though Egypt ian priest s were accustomed to wear

engraved tablets when offi c iat ing at their religious rites ,long before the Jewish ritual was introduced among the

Hebrews .

I t is supposed the ante -Homeric Greeks were unacquainted

with the art of gem - engraving,j udging from the s ilence of

Homer, who makes no mention of engraved gems though one

was placed on the finger of Ulysses , by the painter Polygnotus ,

9" The legen d about the blood of the worm S amir, says a modern writer, origin ated, undoubtedly, from the word Smir,

”a material used by an cien t engravers.


some centuries later. The Phoenic ians , who were the Britons

of antiquity, very l ikely diffused a knowledge of thi s art among

the Asiatic and insu lar Greeks, for, as early as Homer’s t ime,

th is commercial and enterpris ing people traded in j ewelry with

the islands of the IEgean . However, i t was n ot long after

before the art was introduced into Greece proper, where the

s ignet ring became so popular, and it s use was carried to such

excesses that Solon deemed it essent ial to the pro sperity o f

the nation to check th is extravagance by enacting laws regu

lat ing the business of engraving. After the Macedonian con

quest , i t became very flourish ing in Asia,—a region where

before it was comparatively but l ittle practised. About the t ime

o f Augustus , th is art reached its h ighest excellence, especially

in portrait s and in the reign o f Hadrian , i t began to decl ine at

Rome, but found, says King , an asylum in the Pers ian Empire,

where it flourished from the th ird to th e seventh centuries ,

when i t suddenly came to an end by the Mohammedan con

quest . The rel igion of the conquerors permitted only cipher

inscription s upon signet stones , which , with their gracefu l

Arabic curves , were very beautiful , and were highly valued

throughout the East .‘At the Renaissance

,the art was revived, and the antique

engraved gems hoarded by amateurs contributed in no smal ldegree to the general revival ; while Cinque- cento engravers

appeared,whose numerous productions are seen in modern

collect ions . The one at Naples , formerly owned by Alexander

Farnese,comprises a magnificent casket of s ilver-gil t with

plaques of crystal engraved with subj ects from the history of

Alexander the Great another example of th is school , cons ist

ing of a casket of rock- crystal engraved with scenes from the

Passion of our Lord,i s found in the Fl orence gallery. The

art flourished in Germany under the patronage of Rudolph I I . ,



King of France, on the occas ion of the marriage of the Dau

phin to Catherine de Medici .

Trezzo , of Milan , acquired an extens ive fame for his por

t raits on gems, h is most remarkable effort.

be ing the Taber

n acle of the Escurial at M adrid,'

made of different precious

stones found in Spain , and upon which he bestowed the labor

o f seven years. I t has been said that he engraved the dia

m ond, but th e statemen t lacks confirmation in the Opinion of

some writers . Coldore, who l ived in the reigns of Louis XII I .

and of Henry IV. , enj oyed the reputat ion of being the fi rs t

engraver of the seventeen th century. His portraits of Henry,

both in cameo and intagl io,display great art ist ic merit s .

S irletti, an I tal ian of the eighteenth century, surpasses al l

modern art ist s in del icacy of finish , and came nearest , probably,

t o the ancient Greeks in the art istic merit s of his works . The

Costanzi were the most d ist inguished Roman engravers of

the present century ; Giovanni , the elder of that name ,engraved the head of the Emperor Nero on diamond , while

Carlo, the younger, p roduced several masterpieces ,—the heado f A n tin oiis and a Leda for the King of Portugal , on diamond,

and the portrait of Maria Theresa , on sapph ire but h is most

celebrated work was a table emerald , two inches in diameter,

engraved with the head of th e reigning pope on on e s ide, and

o f Peter and Paul on the other,intended for a brooch for the

pontiff.

Rega, of Naples , who l ived in the latter part of the e igh

teen th century, came nearer the antique style, it i s thought , than

any o ther modern engraver. Hercules at repose, and the head

o f a Bacchante,represen t some o f h is most celebrated works .

Pich ler,also a Neapolitan , and one of the first of modern

arti sts , has produced works of the h ighest merit ; h is intagl i

have frequently been sold for anti ques .

E IV GR A V IN G ON P R E CI OUS S TON E S .151

Pistrucci, a Roman by birth , but for many years a resident

o f London, was one of the most fortunate of modern engravers

in a pecuniary sense ; h is works were always , eagerly sought ,

and commanded high prices . His Flora , bought for an\

antique,was considered the cho icest gem in the cabinet of the

purchaser,Mr. Payne Knight ; his cameo of a Greek warrior

o n horseback, with s l ight changes , was adopted for the revers e

o f English crown pieces and sovereigns at the re - co inage in

18 16. The improved copy of the des ign for a subsequent coin

age, during the reign of George IV. , i s regarded the finest on

any modern currency ; his heads on the obverse are less

successful .

Of English engravers in the last century, Smart was the

most notable for the celerity with which he wrought : he is

said to have engraved several s tones in a s ingle day, and by no

m eans in a careles s manner. Seaton was characterized by

extreme finish , but lacked spiri t h is most famous product ions

are the portraits of Pope, Inigo Jones , and Newton . Mar

chant left some fine works in the Greek style, but their finish

i s too minute for effect , the consequence of us ing the micro

scope in the proces s of engraving. Mr. Streeter says that

I taly, France, and England afford the best en gravings of

m odern t imes, and the imitat ions of ant iques are so perfect that

it i s with difficulty they can be dist ingu ished from the genuine,even by experts .

The pract ice for engravers to affix their names to the ir

works did not come into use unt il the time of the Emperor

Augustus . A Diana on sard , in the archaic style , belonging

to the S tosch collection , i s supposed to be the oldest gem

known bearing the artist ’s name—Heias .S ubjects f or E ng rav ing . The themes for the engraver’s

art are l imited in variety, consequently they are frequently

152 P R E 610US S TON E S .

repeated . A large proport ion represen t c lass ical scenes ; the

remainder comprise portraits , representations of animals , the

eagle being the favorite, certain implements denoting o ccu

pation s o r social customs, masks , chimeras , and other whimsi

cal fancies . The heathen div init ies afforded an attract ive

subj ect for art with the early engravers , but later, the portraits

of royal persons were substituted for those of the gods, a

practice adopted about the period of Alexander the Great.

Engraving portrait s on gems was no t in vogue before the

Macedonian princes , who set the example by placing their own

heads upon coin s instead of that of the tutelar divin ity, as had

been the custom . The Greeks represented their gods in

human form,which was n ot the case with most o ther pagan

nations , whose person ification s embraced some of the most

grotesque figures the fertile imagination of the oriental mind

cou ld invent. The Greeks never used the beetle , so commonly

represented by other nat ions , but either s in gle divinit ies and

heroes or groups illustrating some scene in Homer or the

tragic poets .

The ancient Romans gen erally selected their subj ects from

the scenes of ord inary life—war, hunt ing, agricu lture , or somerel igious ceremony, but never from the poets . Portraits of

the emperors appear in the earl ier imperial t imes, but rarely at

a later date, and then generally in the character of Mercury

with the caduceus . The signs of th e zodiac , designat ing th e

horoscope o f th e possessor, were favorite subj ects fo r en

graved gems ; Capricorn , often seen with the portrait of A u

gustus,was bel i eved to design ate high dignity and power. At

a later period,th is k ind of engraving was worn as amulets for

protect ion a gainst disease and accident . A favorite subj ect

w ith the Egypt ians and Etruscan s was the beetl e , and the

gems engraved with th is insect were called scarabei, o r beetle


1 54 P R ECI OUS S TON E S .

inferior workmanship and tasteless designs . Certain gems with

inscript ions in Hebrew o r in Pers ian claim to be antiques,but

th is circumstance alone does not con stitute pos it ive proof of

g reat age.

S tyle and C/zaracter. Antique art never offends the moral

sense by represent ing degrading scenes , as is sometimes done

by modern artist s, greatly to the shame of our vaunted su

perior c ivil izat ion ; but they were those which“ custom and

reverence sanctioned . The earl iest Greek engravings are

in low rel ief, executed with the d iamond point , i t i s bel ieved ,and with an Etruscan border, which has led some connois seurs

t o assign them to the Etruscan school ,—a mistake indicated

by the material selected for the purpo se . With the Etruscans

and early Italians , carnel ian was the favorite , while the Greeks

p referred a yellow sard resembl ing topaz, and somet imes ame

thyst and j acinth . The latter people gave great attent ion to

detail s , represent ing hair by innumerable fine l ines , all d istinct

from one another, and never cross ing, while the Romans , who

a imed at effect , expressed i t by broad masses l ike paint ings ;

short , curly hair was del ineated by holes dril led close together,

s imilar to that seen in some archaic marble s tatues ; their

portraits exh ibit a st iffnes s not observed in Greek workmanship .

T he details of th e early Roman engravings were executed by

t he diamond point , but those of a later period were done ent irely

by the wheel, which , i t i s thought , came into use in Rome

about the t ime of the Emperor Domitian , A . D . 8 1—96. The

m ost h ighly finished intagl i display a bri ll iancy which has sug

gested the idea that they were cut and pol ished by the same

Operat ion ; in modern t imes , th is result is ach ieved by a com

p l icated process , expla ined in another chapter.

The Cinque—cento engravers copied the Roman style, withexaggerations . Their earl ies t product ions, executed under the

EN GR A VIN G ON P R E CI OUS S TON E S .155

patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, are dist inguished by their

extreme st iffness and mediaeval character, quite in contrast

w ith the flowing s tyle of a later period .

The numerous forgeries extant had an unfavorab le infin

e nce,writes King, upon the publi c fancy for engraved gems ,

and as a consequence the busines s passed from skilled arti sts

to mere mechanics . After a career of th irty centuries , says

this author, the ancient art of engraving upon precious stones

may be said to have passed away.

’le

In tag lio.—This i s the form of cutting a gem with the figure

depressed , and is opposed to cameo, which represents the de

s ign raised . The number of antique intagl i st ill in existence

i s incalculable , owing to the vast quant it ies produced during

many centuries all over the c ivil ized world , and from the in

destruct ibl e nature of the material , which neither t ime nor the

e lements can affect . They were very numerous in Rome , but

few intagl i, compared with the countless number of camei,

were produced during the Cinque - cento period . Those repre

sent ing purely Christ ian subj ects,of undoubted antiquity, are ,

i t is said , exceedingly rare , though modern works of the kind

are not uncommon . The British Museum contains some of

these early Christ ian gems , including a red j asper set in gold,with an inscription , an emerald engraved with the figure of a

fish , and a large sapphire with the monogram of Christ . The

G reek intagl i were frequently set in finger- rings for s ignets,

the Ariadne in the Pulsky collection affording one of the fin est

examples o f the kind . The intagl io was superseded by the

cameo, though in the last century there was a revival of the

fash ion for intagl i , and many were executed equal to the best

o f ancient workmansh ip .

This statemen t needs some qualification , since modern engraving is praetised, to a limited exten t, at least, very successful ly.


Cameo.

- The origin of the name has been referred to dif

feren t sources ,—to the Arabic “camaa (an amulet) , to the

Greek “ kauma (heat), and with more probabil ity to chama (a

sea- shel l used for camei) the earl ies t adoption of the term

for figures in rel ief was in the beginn ing of the s ixteenth cen~

tury. Antique Roman camc i are nearly all of large s ize, and

not intended to be worn as ornaments, while, on the contrary,

the Greek specimens were seldom above the ordinary dimon

s ions . I t i s claimed by connoisseurs that shel l and turquo ise

ant ique camei are extremely doubtful ; the busts of the Cae sars

in shel l , contained in the South Ken s ington Museum , belongto the early Renaissance . This form of engraving is generallycut 011 opaque or translucent gems , while intagl i are more

frequently found on transparent stones . Antique camc i on

sardonyx were usually in three colors,if the layers occurred in

regular succession , with the base of a translucent dark choco

late,the m iddle opaque white , and the upper layer a light

brown or red . Somet imes the head of a warrior was cut in

red,the helmet in

'

green , and the breastplate in yel low, a rare

combinat ion of colors .

Cameo is much later than intagl io , and s ince the Renais

sance the number produced has been vastly greater than the

latter,partly

,no doubt , because they can be executed with

greater facil ity.The Republ ican period of the Romans has

been cal led the age,par excellence , for camc i , while those of

Grecian work are extremely rare . Some of the best antique

specimens date from the reign of Hadrian , in the second

century of our era, after which the art began to decl ine . The

oldest known cameo is said to be the Ptolemy and Berenice, on

sardonyx,in the Odescalch i col lect ion . The Romans of the

present day,Who make use of the Indian conchs , have carried

the art of shel l camei to a surpris ing height of excellence .



of a quadriga, i n four different colored layers , i s a rare and

interest ing spec imen , on account o f the n umber of t ints and

their skilful use by the art is t . The Odescalch i cameo , in the

Vatican collection , remarkable for it s s ize and superior

workmanship, is engraved with figures once supposed to

represent Alexander and O lympia, but according to the opinion

of Viscont i,Ptolemy Euergete s and Berenice . The largest

cameo in th is cabinet del ineates the triumph of Bacchus and

Ceres , on a gem sixteen inches by twelve,cons ist ing of five

different colored layers . Another of large s ize and superior

workmanship , cut upon a stone of two colors , is in the Vienna

Museum .

The Florence col l ect ion comprises many ce lebrated engrav

ings ;‘

some of th e most conspicuous are an Anton inus Pius , a

Cupid on a Lion , Apollo in Repose (the figure being in gold) ,

Iphigenia recognizing O restes and Pylades , a head of Jupiter, a

Bacchante cut in three colors , the head of Augustus as Apol lo,

head of Vespas ian , head of Livia, Wounded Stag, and the

Fal l of Phaeton . Of sacred subj ects , are a figure of Christ , of

large s ize,and a double cameo

,in blood- red j asper, depict ing the

Fligh t into Egypt o n one side, and on the other the Massacre

of the Innocent s . The group o f portraits affords five of the

Medici fam ily—Cosmo , Lorenzo, Alexander, Catherine , and

Leo X . ,Francis I . ,

Phill ip I I . , and Bianca Capella . Those

o f the fifteenth century include Savonarola, on carnel ian , and

Pope Paul I I I . , on sapph ire . A few of the most celebrated

intagl i in th is collect ion are an Apollo , on onyx ; Hercules 1n

O lympus , on amethyst Titan s , on amethyst Pal las and other

heads,on sardonyx ; and Leander, on sapph ire . A large

number of the Florence en gravings bear the name of Lorenzo

de Medici, who establ ished a schoo l for th is department of art

in the Republ ic .

EN GR A VI IVG 01V P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 159

A few Indian and Pers ian camci of ant ique workmansh ipare in existence

,including, as one of the most notable , the rep

resen tation o f a Sassanian monarch , supposed to be Sapor I I . ,the production of an Asiatic Greek . The portraits of th is

ruler,whose re ign extended through seventy- two years

,are

very numerous . An intaglio upon emerald, with the figure of

Cupid teas ing a goose , and an aquamarin e engraved with Cupid

on a dolph in , both in the Brit ish Museum , are regarded by

j udges as specimens of exquis ite workmansh ip .

Bust s and statuettes were frequent ly carved from sol id gems

by the Romans . On e of this chai'acter— a bust of the Emperor

Tiberius - occurs in the Florent ine collect ion . Pliny refers to

the statue o f Queen Arsinoe’

, four cubits in he ight , made of

topaz ion ,which may have been peridot or agate .

Collections of Eng raved Gems. The best public collect ions

of engraved g'

ems , says Mr. Streeter, are in Berl in , Vienna,

F lorence,Naples , St. Petersburg, . Copenhagen , and London .

The Brit ish Museum is said to c ontain specimens of the finest

and rarest types of gem - engraving. For special col lect ion s, th e

most worthy of note are those of the Barberini Palace , and of

the Duke Odescal ch i, at Rome, and the Blacas, in the British

Museum , which comprises some of the most valuable in the

world ; but by far the largest number of these monuments

of art are to be found in the cabinet s of nob le and wealthyamateurs .

On e of the most extens ive collect ions of engraved gems in

the United State s is found in the Metropol itan Museum of

Art , New York , referred to in the chapter o n“ Collection s of

Precious Stones .” These engravings,if not so numerous as

those of some other countries,are valuable for the variety they

offer,as well as for the excellence of the stones themselves .

From this collect ion , a few specimens are selected, to give

1 60 P R E CI OUS S TON ES .

some idea of it s general character, more especially in the sub

jects chosen for representat ion . Assyrian art i s typifi ed by

the cyl inder,the Persian by the cone . On e of the cylinders ,

made of black hematite , i s engraved with the figure of the god

B elus , having the winged disc above his head , th e symbo l of

the divine presence , and holding in h is hand the crux ansata ,

th e emblem of l ife—the real origin , i t i s thought , of th eEngl ish royal orb and cross. Several human figures

,animal s

,

a nd emblems , are introduced , mak ing the whole scene a com

p lex“ mixture of As syrian and Egyptian ideas .” The bust of

a Sas sanian king, on garnet, i s represented with the usual

pearl o f immense s ize in his ear, understood , from an in script ion in Pehleve characters , to be Sapor I I . ; th e bust of a

queen , with a strikingly marked type of nat ional character,

e ngraved on lapis - lazul i of very superior qual ity, i s thought to

be that of an Indo - Scyth ian . The Egypt ian ideas are repre

s ented by Horus , one of the sun -go ds , seated on a lotus , the

e mblem of fert il ity, with a st ar and triangle , executed upon

g reen j asper ; while the Gnost ic doctrines are represented by the

Abraxas god,corresponding to Serapis , in various forms . On e

o f the Greek gems—a sard o f different shades—bears th eh ead of Saturn ,—a rare subj ect for engraving and a fine work

o n red j asper exhibits the figure of Faustina the Elder, as

Cybele, on e of the earl iest known on that material ; Jupiter,

Juno , Apollo, Minerva, Serapis , and other deit ies , of Greek ,

Roman , and Egypt ian mythology, are all represented , with dif

feren t degrees of skill , on a large variety of precious stones .

Kinds of P recious S ton es used f or Eng rav ing . Sards of

different Shades const itut e more than half th e number of

engraved gems ; the remainder comprise several species , in

c luding the followingR uby . Some connoisseurs deny the existence of any real



esson ite, inc luding a Jul iu s Cmsar, by Dioscorides , and the

Apollo Citharidus, both in the Blacas collection ; the head of a

king o f Pergamos , in the Florence cabinet ; and a Maecenas ,by Apollon ius, formerly belonging to the Herz collection . The

antiquity of a S iriu s , o n Indian garnet , belonging to the Marl

borough gems , has been quest ioned . Antique camei and

in tagl i cut in garnet are often called j acinth s, a variety of

zircon ; but it is claimed there are no antique engraved gems

o f this spec ies , an evidence that i t was not known to the

ancients .

L apis-laz uli—This gem , supposed to be the sapph ire of

antiquity, was seldom engraved by the Greeks , but frequently

by the Assyrians , Egypt ian s , Persians , and R omans , as well as

by the Cinque - cento art ists .

Turguoise.

—Nearly al l the engraved gems of th is spec ies

called antiques belong to the Renaissance a few are genuine ,

including some o f the Pers ian stones belonging to the Sassa

n ian period . The green turquoise was preferred to the blue ,

though instances of the latter occur in th e Marlborough col

lect ion . There i s a bust of Tiberius on th is gem in Florence ,

and the mask of an Indian Bacchus in the Blacas cabinet .

T he topaz of the ancient s has no genuine engraved spec i

men s ; and the c/zrysolite was seldom used for th is purpose ,

though frequently employed by modern art ists . An example

of an antique i s found among the Townshend gems , at South

Kensington .

P earl.—The ancients rarely engraved this beaut iful gem .

Two examples are mentioned by antiquaries ,—on e , represent

ing the heads of Sol , Jupiter, and Luna, supposed to‘

date from

the later Roman Empire,and another belonging to th e th ir

teen th century.

R ode-Crystal.- Though this mineral was extens ively used

EN OR A VI N O ON P R E CIOUS S TON E S . 63

for cups,gob lets

,and' vases , as the unusually large number of

antiques in this ston e proves , yet i t was no t employed for

engraving until the Renaissance, when it came into use for

j ewe lry.Specimens of engraving on crystal, the work of th is

period,are seen at Naples , Florence, and in other modern col

lections .

Ametnyst, of the quartz species , was an attractive stone for

the engraver of nearly all nations and periods , j udging from the

Egyptian,Etruscan

,Greek

,and Roman intagl i in th is variety.

A few of the most celebrated examples are : Omphale, in the

Marlborough collection ; Atalanta, in Berl in ; Achilles , in Paris ,

Pan,in the Blacas Sapor I .

,in the Devonshire ; and Mithri

dates , in Florence . The yel low quartz d id’

not please the

ancients as a material for the glyptic art,but the engravers

of the fifth century, however, adopted it as a favorite. On e

antique specimen is found in the Briti sh Museum .

The sardonyx , usually compris ing three colors , i s wel ladapted for camci ; therefore, some of the largest -engravings

known are cut in th is gem ; the colossal specimen in the Vati

can Museum surpasses al l others of the kind in size.

The onyx was frequently engraved , a remarkab le specimen

being afforded by the Corinth ian helmet on j asper- onyx. An

imitation of th is engraving con st ituted the chef- d ’oeuvre of the

notorious Pon iatowsky collection .

P lasma . There i s an intagl io on th is gem , i n the Brit ish

Museum , of great art ist ic merit . This kind of engraving was

executed in the Roman period on a rare, translucent plasma

called by Pliny green j asper. There are said to be no an

t iques on’

prase, but a large part of ancient s igil s are cut on

j asper.

R ed jasper. Two of the best known engravings on th is

variety of quartz are the head of Minerva, at Vien na, and that


o f Vespas ian , in the Marlborough collect ion . The Romans

employed green and bright vermil ion j aspers for their works,

but the Egyptians and the Gnost ics preferred the yellow.

They frequently selected the neliotrope or blood - stone for

tal ismans , but very rarely for engravin g. Some good speci

mens of antiques occur on n icolo, including an Apollo , belong

ing to the Herz collection , and the head of Caracal la,to the

Blacas.

S ard. Early engravers had a decided preference for the

sardius , and some of their best works appear on this stone .

The Greeks c hose the yel low t ints , th e Romans the red , though

a variety called sard ine, of a deep red color, was employed both

by the later Greeks and the early Romans , and also by th e

artist s of the fifteenth century as well as by modern engravers .

A fine specimen of engraving on th is gem , representing a

Bacchante, occurs in the Blacas collect ion .

Carn elian . The most ancient Egyptian and Etruscan

intagl i are found on th is variety of precious stone , but after

the conquests of Alexander, i t was superseded by the oriental

sard . It s co lor, toughness , and capacity for pol ish , render it a

desirable material for engraving .

Chalcedony . This variety of quartz ha s been sought for

engraving by art ists of al l t imes it was used by the nations of

antiquity for Babylonian cyl inders and for Etruscan scarabei ,

and has been also a favorit e with mediaeval and modern

engravers . When of a yellowish t int , i t was called opalin e, a

substan ce dist inct from opal , a species not found among an

t ique gems . I t is est imated that a large part of engraved chal

c edon ies, notwithstanding it s frequent use by the ancients , are

modern counterfeits . OOsidian andfl in t were substances used

by the Assyrians and Egyptians in their earl iest attempts at

engraving .



the n umber of succes s ive emanations of the great creat ive

principle , or, according to the Persian Mithraic rites , the fi rst

emanation of Ormuz. With the Gnost ics , Abraxas was the

type of Christ as the Creator and Maintainer of th e universe.

The Egyptian Mithras -Abraxas , or Serapis , i s represented

on intagl i seated upon a throne with a triple -headed animal by

h is s ide, and Is is, the earth , before h im . The engraving bears

the in scriptions , “ There is but on e god, and\

he is Serapis ,”

and,“ Immaculate i s our Lady Is i s . ’ The Gnost ic rites bore

a resemblance t o some of those pertaining to the Christ ian

religion , as baptism . and the Eucharist ; they were practised at

Rome for a long t ime under the Christ ian emperors,and were

frequently represented on engraved precious stones . The

neophyte when initiated , was subj ected to twelve degrees of

t rial o r torture during h is probat ion,which lasted forty days .

He was scourged for two days , and compelled to l ie naked on

the snow for a certain number of nights . These tests are

represented on the bas - reliefs in the museum at In n sbriick.

The column,triangle

,and some other symbol s frequently

occur in Gnost ic engravings ; some of these emblems , as the

serpent,sword

,level, column , and the name of Saint John ,

whom this ancient sect claimed as their special apost le, have

been adopted by the modern society of Freemason s . The

ange l Michael i s represented on Gnost ic intagli as a wingedyouth with a hawk’s head , and holding in each hand a mason

’s

level, with hi s finger On his mouth , betokeiiing secrecy on th e

init iated .

The early Gnost ic intagl i sometimes represented a serpent.

with a l ion ’s head surrounded with seven rays , sometimes

Anubis , a god with the head of a j ackal , and sometimes O s iris ,

wearing a crown . These intagl i are the only glyptic monu

ments exi st ing, says Mr. King, of the later periods o f the

E N GR A VIN O ON P R E CI OUS S TON E S . 167

Roman Empire, and represent art at it s lowest ebb . Most of

the Gnos t ic gems were des igned for amulets , or to be carried

about as credent ials . They were placed with deceased bodies

in tombs for safety against the power of demons,and are found

in great abundance in the ancient cemeteries of the Gauls . At

present,they are numerous in France and I taly ; some of the

fines t Gnost ic intagl i are in the Brit ish Museum . It i s

bel ieved there are traces of Gnostici sm among the sect s in the

valley of the L ibanus mountains , in Syria .

Cupnic g ems. These are precious stones engraved with

legends in the Cuphic or square Arabic characters arranged to

represen t a cros s or the letter T ; they were not used later

than the thirteenth century.

Raspe, in his catalogue of engraved gems, including both

antique and modern, of which there is any an then tic knowledge,

places the whole number at

A l i s t compris ing the names of gem - engravers and a descript ion of their works , together with the collect ions in which they

are found, has been prepared by Count de Clarac.

CHAPTER X .

THE D IA M ON D .

IT i s generally conceded that the d iamond,including all its

variet ies of color, holds the firs t rank among precious stones

for beauty and intrins ic value,though at the present t ime it

fall s below some other gems in price as an art icle of me rchan

dise there are none that equal i t in hardness , brill iancy, and

a remarkable play of colors .

There is no other obj ect in the whole realm of nature which

has been so eagerly sought and so reluctantly yielded as the

diamon d ; and for this reason i t posses ses great tragical and

historical interest , having been n ot unfrequently the cause of

wars , the subj ect of n egotiat ions between nations , and the

incent ive for the commis s ion of horrible crimes .

The diamond has always been regarded the symbol of rank,

power, and wealth hence , it has been freely used to embell ish

royal crowns , and other in s ignia of d ist inguished birth , as well

as for personal ornaments in the c ircles of fash ion . Perhaps in

no period of i ts h istory has it been so generally employed in

j ewelry as at the present t ime .

This incomparable gem has also served th e h igher purposes

of art , science, and l iterature . I ts imperishable nature affords

an appropriate material for the engraver’s art and i t s remarka

ble phys ical and chemical properties render it an obj ect of

interesting experiments in science. I t const itutes o n e o f the

most appropriate and express ive metaphors in l iterature for

whatever is t ranscendent in beauty and excellence in the whole

168



I t i s recorded by the Prophet Jeremiah that the s in of Judah

is written with a pen of iron and the point of a diamond .

Whatever this stone may have been,i t was mounted

,l ike the

diamond of the present day, in iron tools for engraving. The

prophet ’s pen may n

qt inaptly be regarded as a type of our

modern so - called diamond - t ipped pens . Manl ius,in the first

c entury of our era, i s supposed to be the earliest writer who

defin itely ment ions the true d iamond so as to leave no doubt

about it s ident ity.

Constituen t. - The diamond is pure crystall ized carbon ,the

“ h ighest development of a physical Substance from a simple

e lement . There is on ly one other mineral of the same n atui' e ,and classed in the same group ; the ruby, the sapphire, or th e

emerald , i t m ight be supposed, i s alone worthy a place beside

t h is unrivalled gem . Every o n e has noticed the black , sooty,

greasy- l ike substance called graph ite, used for stove -pol ish th is

unattract ive substance is the twin brother of the diaphanous ,

sparkl ing gem we call the diamond . Yet no two obj ects could

be more un l ike in appearance . Or, if one is no t qu ite assured

o f the vegetable origin of graphite, let h im take a piece of

c harcoal and n ot ice how soft and lustreless i t is , how eas ily

it crumbles , leaving its darkened t race upon everything i t

touches , and then compare it with the brill iant gl ittering upon

h is finger, so hard , and pure, and transparent ; are they much

a l ike ? yet both are composed of the same e lement—carbon .

Lavois ier was the first t o establ ish the real nature of it s

c onst ituent,by burning a diamond .

Origin —The origin of the diamon d has been a fruitful

t opic for speculat ion among scienti st s, hence many Con tradic

t ory theories have been advanced and argued with some Show

o f reason ; but after all that has been said and written on the

subj ect , we are stil l left pretty much in the dark. Theo ries

TIIE D I A M ON D . 17 1

answer a good purpose , S ince th ey often lead the way to truth .

But this i s n o t al l ; they illu strate the ingenuity of the human

m ind in seeking to account for the methods Nature takes for

the accomplishment of her secret operat ions . Some o f these

theories about the origin of the diamond are’

very ingenious

and interes ting, though the amount of truth they embody

remains to be proved . I t has been suggested that the vapors

of carbon during the coal period may have been condensed and

c rystal lized into the diamond ; and again that itacolumite,

generally regarded as the matrix,was saturated with petroleum

,

which , collect ing in nodules , formed th is gem by gradual

crystall izat ion . Newton bel ieved it had been a coagulated ,

unctuous substance, of vegetable origin , and was sustained in

h is theory by many eminent philosophers , including Sir David

Brewster,who bel ieved the diamond was once a mass of gum

derived from certain species of wood , and that it s ubsequently

a ssumed a crystall ine form . Dana and others advance the

Opinion that it may have been produced by the slow decompos it ion of vegetable material , and even from animal matter.

Burton says it is younger than gold , and suggests the

poss ibil ity that it may st il l be in the proces s of formation ,with

capacity for growth . Specimens o f the diamond have been

found to enclose part icles of gold , an evidence , he thinks , that

its formation was more recen t than that of th i s precious metal .

The theory that the diamond was formed immediately from

c arbon by the act ion of heat is opposed by another, maintaining

that it could not have been '

produced in th is way, o therwise , i t

Would have been consumed . But the advocates of th is view

were not quite o n their guard against a surprise , for some

quick-witted Opponent found by experiment that it will sustain

g reat heat without combustion .

Later opinions incl ine to the hypothesis that the diamond

72 P R E CIOUS S TON E S .

o riginated in some pre - exist ing form of carbon , which has been

explained as the result of the crystall izat ion of that element

from a l iqu id solut ion . Carbonic ac id col lected in cavit ies, it

i s afl‘irmed, l iquefied under great and long - cont inued pressure,

during wh ich it dis solved some o f the pree xist ing carbon,

when the acid escaped and crystall izat ion began . After the

pressure abated , the evaporiz ation of the l iquid left a mass o f

carbon , which const ituted the diamond. Another school of

scientist s teach that th is gem had its origin in mud vol canoes,

which is in direct Oppos ition to its glacial source, a theory

which has also it s supporters . In the face of al l these conflict

ing views ; we must let the subj ect rest unt il some n ew

discoveries afford a bas is for fresh specu lat ions .

M atrix.

—As many clash ing opinions have been advancedabout the real matrix o f the diamond as about it s birth ; but

after the test imony o f different explorers has been s ifted , it

appears as if there were several different rocks which may be

regarded as it s nat ive home . TheIndian gem is said to occur

in a sandstone brecc ia composed of j asper, quartz, chal cedony,

and horn eblende, cemented by a s il ic ious substance , the

conglomerate,passing into loose pudding- stone , forming the

diamond beds.Professor Livers idge says granite , i tacolumite,

j asper,and peridot indicate the presence of th e diamond in

India and Brazil,while in Austral ia ‘i t i s assoc iated with

sandstones,shales , conglomerates , and trap - rocks . Agassiz

thought the diamond -bearing formation was the glacial drift,

but the rock about Diamant ino is itacolumite , which is an

int imation that i t constitutes th e t rue matrix. We are n o t

l eft th e consolat ion that ou r researches end here, s ince the

diamond,l ike th e Wandering Jew ,

” has been driven from this

retreat , to resume its nomadic l ife . A tradit ion , says Mme .

Barrera, prevailed in the East , i n early t imes , that d iamonds


I 74 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

The diamond is a non - conductor of electric ity,while graph

ite and charcoal , substances identical in chemical constituents

with th is gem , are very active conductors . Both in a natural

and pol ished condit ion , it acquires pos it ive electric ity by frict ion ,while, on the contrary, most precious s tones are negat ive

in the rough , and posit ive only when pol ished . I t does not

possess double refract ion ; neither does it polarize l ight , as do

some other gems . But it i s the exceptional one that exhibit s

phosphorescence in a natural state , and then only in the case

of certain stones , though this property is said to be generated

by steeping in hot water.

During the las t Century, it was shown that doub le refrac

t ion never occurs in non - crystallized substances , n or in crys

tal s of the cubic system ,to which the diamond is al l ied .

Hauy confirmed this Opin ion , and maintained the converse,

that all crystal s no t of the cubic system were double

refract ing .

No solvents , n ot even acids , have the sl ightest influence in

decomposing the diamond - a fact which enhances its value as

an ornamental stone . Until the m iddle of the seventeenth

century, i t was bel ieved to be incapable of in j ury from heat , but

Sir I saac Newton bel ieved it was combust ible , before it was

submitted to th e operat ion of burning, on account of it s re

fract ing power. The relat ive dens ity of quartz and diamond

are as three to four, while their refractive powers are as three

to eight .

The experiment of publ icly burning the diamond was suc

cessfully made at Florence in 1694, by means of a burning

glass ,* when some of the most celebrated scientists attended

as witnesses of the important ceremony. The stone, on ex

M M . Dumas and S trass, it is said , burn ed this gem by means of the vo ltaicbattery, an experimen t o ften repeated in modern laboratories.

THE D I A M ON D . 175

posure t o great heat ,* firs t spl it , then emitted bright red

sparks, and at last was consumed , leaving noth ing except car

bon ic acid gas and a very small quantity of ash . Boyle had

previously found that it was combustible , but the correct explana

t ion of the phenomenon belongs to Lavois ier, a French chemist

(1743 who no t only burned the diamond, but also dis

covered the true n ature of it s const ituent . Several o ther

experiments were subsequently made establ ish ing the fact of

its combust ib il i ty,one at Vienna in 1750, and another at Paris in

177 1 , so that no reasonable doubt in regard to it remains s ti ll , i twas thought the diamond might res ist the influence of great heat

under certain condit ions,and an experiment was made in which

air was ent irely excluded ; the stone was neither consumed n or

melted, the latter fact proving it to be infla te/a t

Some experimenters have thought they dete cted a'

cel lular

structure in the res iduum,ind icat ing the vegetable origin of th is

precious s tone ; but this fact i s not , in th e Opinion of others ,

well substant iated .

Colon —A large part of the diamonds are white, though a

perfectly transparent, col orless gem is more rare than is gener

ally supposed ; the remainder present a d ivers ity o f hues of

different shades , including yellow,red

,blue, green , brown ,

and black . The action of heat in modifying or changing

the color has been proved by repeated experiments ; in some

cases , the original t ints are restored after a certain time,

but in others the acquired hues are permanent . Though

9“ It is said that 14° Wedgewood , or fiv e thousan d Fahrenheit, is n ecessary to

burn the diamon d .

1 A fter the great conflagration atHamburg in 1842, a large n umber of dia

mon ds, which had o n ly been defaced by expo sure to the heat, were so ld for a trifle ,un der the m istaken idea that they had been perman en tly in jured , but after bein grepo lished they regain ed their former bril lian cy and lustre, with n o o ther lossthan a slight reduction in weight.


s ome of the older min eralogists attempt to account for th e

different colors of precious stones , their theories are not alto

g ether sat isfactory, and‘

un til further discoveries are made,we

must content ourselves with admiring their beaut iful hues

w ithout understanding Nature ’s methods of paint ing them .

The yellow diamond , perhaps , affords the greatest number

of shades , some of them surpass ing in beauty every other gem

o f th is color ; specimens of a canary t int are qu ite general .

Rose - colored diamonds are not so plent iful as has been sup

p osed ; while the red , of rich deep t int s surpass ing the ruby in

beauty , are extremely rare , and const itute one o f th e most

magnificent ornamental stones known to exist . A few of th is

v ar iety are o n re cord,comprising o n e weighing ten carats

,

bought by the Emperor Paul o f Russ ia , for one hundred thou

s and roubles,and another, referred to by Mr. Streeter , pur

c hased of a London firm by a gentleman in Paris . Several

specimens occur of reddish shades , such as garnet , hyacinth ,

l ilac,and peach -blossom , seen in the different collections of

Europe . Blue diamonds rank next to the deep red for rarity

and beauty,those of a dark blue shade const ituting beaut iful

gems,which differ from the blue sapph ire in the qual ity of the

t int,and in the play of colors pecul iar to the diamond . The only

b lue stones known have been found in the ol d mines of India,

n one having been discovered , according to th is writer

in Brazil or South Africa . He further states that bes ides the

Hope and the Brunswick blue diamonds , there are only three

gems of this kind in Europe that can with propriety be called

blue,and that al l these differ from the Hope and from one

another.

Next to the yel l ow,for colored variet ies , the green , including

all shades,are most numerous , yet the pure emerald or grass

g reen diamond is rare, but when it does occur i t forms a most



ficed from careless handling, or from not understanding its

properties.

Cleavag e, an important quality in diamond - cutting,i s always

parallel to the faces of the octahedron,and

,whatever shape

it assumes , it can be spl it into that figure . The magnifying

power of this gem is superior to that of glass,which has led

to i ts use, in some instances , for m icroscopic lenses , though

it is said to be difficult to make them perfectly accurate.

A summary of the propert ies of the diamond is as follows

Hardness , 10 ; specific gravity, cleavage,perfect ; refrac

t ion , s imple; transparent to Opaque ; combustible ; infus ible ;frangible ; phosphorescent ; great power of refract ion ; disper

s ive power ; remarkable lustre and play of colors ; posit ively

electric by frict ion ; non - conductor of electricity ; does n ot

po larize l ight .

Classifica tion .

—Dieulafait recognizes th is prec ious stoneunder three d ifferent molecular states : First , crystall ized

the most usual form , and,the o n e employed in j ewelry ; second ,

crystal l ine, or imperfectly crystall ized , as bort , which is oxees

sively hard , far exceeding the ord inary diamond in hardness ,

and used for powder ; th ird , amorphous or uncrystall ine , an

opaque, steel- gray mass, called carbonado , used for polish ing .

I t is sometimes of a granular structure, imperfectly crystall ized,

porous , dense, or mass ive, with a hardness equal to and even

surpass ing the crystall ized form,and when burned , i t l eaves

a residuum of c lay and other substances .

I t was formerly bel ieved that the diamond was a kind of

rock - crystal,and the latter has sometimes been mistaken for

it , but a knowledge of crystallography would have prevented

such an error. Quartz crystals are hexagonal , whereas those

of the diamond are eight or twelve faced , though the primit ive

forms are sometimes varied and complex. The normal shape

TIIE D IAMON D .179

o f the Ind ian specimens is a regular octahedron , the Brazil ian

are twelve and occasionally s ix- faced.

"e Groups of crystals

including both forms sometimes occur, as may be seen in a

specimen of the Dresden collect ion . The faces or planes

are frequent ly convex, having been n aturally rounded . In

the form of i t s crystal s , the diamond may be confounded with

the white spinel.

M icrosCOpic cavit ies or fi ssures exi st in many spec imens ,

whieh give them a dark co lor, while others present a stellated

appearan ce.

Somet imes this gem will burst or spl it from natural causes ,

a s ingular phenomenon happening with certain glassy stones

of a faint brown tinge . Specimens perfect when taken from

the mines have been known to be lying in fragments the next

morning . I t has been suggested that th is catastrophe i s

occas ioned by the vaporizat ion of the water between the lam

inm,induced by atmospheric heat, but the real cause is a ques

t ion for speculation .

Supernatural powers have been ascribed to th e diamond,as if it s natural properties were not sufficient to constitute it

on e of the mos t remarkable substances in nature . There has

been a difference of Opin ion about it s medicinal qual ities

some bel ieving it was a deadly poison if taken into the stom

ach , while others have regarded it an ant idote to po ison . It i s

said that the l ife of Benvenuto Cell in i was attempted by on e

of his rivals , by administering to him a draught containing, as

was supposed , pulverized diamond, bel ieved to be a virulen t

po ison , but the danger was averted by the cupidity of the

apothecary, who prepared the deadly beverage by subst ituting

the beryl , a cheaper gem . The mysterious death of S ir

9" The cube form of the diamo n d and the hard roun d bort, the latter beingreally a twin n ing of the cube, are pecu liar to Brazil . - G. F. Kun z .


Thomas Overbury in the Tower of London , at the beginningof the seventeenth century, was ascribed to a pot ion g iven to

h im by an enemy, containing a preparat ion of the diamond .

Uses. A difference of Opinion has prevailed among n at ions

and individual s as to the rank this gem is entitled to amon g

precious stones . The ancient Romans and the people of India

ass igned it the h ighest place for beauty and value,whil e the

Pers ians esteemed it less , giving i t only a fifth rank , the pearl ,ruby, emerald, and chrysol it e taking precedence other nat ion s

have considered it inferio r only to the ruby and the emerald ,

though the maj ority of mankind have regarded the diamond as

the queen of gems and the nonpareil of all material th ings,

whose possess ion was once claimed as a regal privilege and

none except those of dist inguished rank presumed to appro

priate i t for personal ornament ; but now the imperial gem

has become the legit imate property of any o n e who can pur

chase it .

The Syrians and Phoenicians are supposed to have been the

fi rst nation s who employed it for j ewel ry, and their example

was soon imitated by others . At a later period it was intro

duced into Europe and became conspicuous at all the courts

and in al l th e c irc les of rank and fash ion , while at the present

t ime it maintains a pro - eminent dist inction as an ornamental

stone in both hemispheres .

The French col lect ion of d iamonds was large at the t ime

of the great robbery, and s ince that affair, access ions were

made from t ime to t ime unt il the l is t reached , in 1838, the

enormous sum of nearly s ixty -five thousand specimens, includ

ing many of dist inguished s ize and beauty. Additions con

tinued to be made to the collect ion unt il the n umber was

almost without a paral lel .

In 1872 the Buonaparte family alone, with in one year,



mediaeval and modern times . On e of these gems figure s in

the chronicles of the empire as having been owned by the

Emperor Nero and transmitted to his successors , Traj an and

Hadrian.

The story of the Diamond Necklace has often been told,

but it wil l bear repeat ing , l ike many another tale fraught with

romantic interest . This j ewel i s said to have played a promi

n ent part in bringing about the French Revolut ion,in which

M arie Antoinette, Cardinal Rohan , Madame De La Motte and

h er husband , are the principal actors. Briefly stated , the fact s

are these : Louis XV. , in 1774, commiss ioned two court

jewellers to make a necklace of the most beaut iful diamonds to

be had, for Madame du Barri but before it was completed,the

king died and was succeeded by Louis XVI . The necklace

was, however, finished,with the hOpe that it m ight be pur

chased for Marie Anto inette,the new queen ; but the price,

between on e and two mill ion l ivres , was beyond the capacity o f

the “ royal exchequer.” Subsequently,Madame De La Motte,

o n e of the queen ’s at ten dants , represented to Cardinal Rohan

that her maj esty had reconsidered the quest ion and would

enter upon n egot iat ions for th e purchase of th e necklace.

Duped by this woman , the cardinal bought the j ewel , at the

request of h is sovereign , as he supposed, and consigned it to

the attendant , whose aim was to get pos ses sion of i t . De La

Motte,the husband

,escaped with it to England , where it was

broken up,with the V iew of dispos ing of the diamonds . In the

m eant ime,the j eweller

,who bel ieved the queen had been the

purchaser, brought h is claims for indemnity ; consequently, the

plot was discovered . The unfortunate cardinal , whose only

fault in the matter was over- credul ity, was sent to prison , and

Madame De La Motte was scourged and condemned to per

petual imprisonment , from which , however, she managed to

THE D I A M ON D .183

e scape . This fraud,on e of the most daring recorded in

history, expited

publ ic interest throughout Europe, and caused

a decl ine in the use of the diamond in France ; and during

the Revolut ion , which soon fol lowed , it was ent irely ignored.

“

A rtificialD iamonds.Attempts have been made to produce

these gems by an art ifi cial process , but thus far the efforts

have not been attended with very grat ify ing results . M . Des

pretz,after repeated experiment s made in 1828, succeeded in

o btaining some minute crystal s resembling diamonds , which ,

however, were regarded as failures .”6 These abort ive results

did not deter sanguine experimenters from making further

attempts to discover a method of manufacturing diamonds , or a

production so closely resembl ing them as to replace the

g enuine art icle , from boron , one of the elementary substances ,

which closely resembles carbon , the constituent o f the dia

mond,in several of it s properties , while i t s transparency, power

o f refract ion , hardness , play of colors , and resistance to the

act ion of nearly al l chemicals , render i t a desirable substance

from which a gem of such excellence as to compete with the

diamond might be art ific ial ly formed .

On the other hand , i t must be stated that boron crystals are

v ery difficult to be obtained , and when se cured, they have been

thus far only of very small s ize . Glass imi tat ions are produced

with much great er facil ity,and they closely resemble the

genuine diamond in brilliancy and prismatic effect , though they

*[ A t a meeting of. the R oyal S o ciety in 1879, a paper was read by M r.Han n y,e n titled “ On the S o lubility o f S o lids in Gases,

”which stated some in teresting

experimen ts relating to this subject. I t was shown that a crystal o f po tassiciodide could be disso lved in alcoho l gas, and become again crystal lized. The

e xperimen t was successful ly tried w ith various so lids. This suggested the ideathat if some gaseous so lven t cou ld be foun d to disso lve carbon , artificial diamon dscould be produced . M r.Han ny succeeded in fin ding such a so lven t, and obtain edsome minute crystals con tain ing 97 per cen t o f carbon , andwith all the attributes o f

n atural diamonds.


are inferior in hardn ess , and want ing in the adamant ine lustre,as wel l as some other characteris t ics of th is prec ious stone .

An attempt has been made to give yel low diamonds a blue t int

by means of an il in e dye or a certain kind of b lue pencil,with

a view of enhanc ing their commercial value,but the fraud

is too palpab le easily to escape detect ion . The latter process

cons ists in wrapping the stone in a damp sheet of t issue paper

which has been rubbed with powder abraded from a b lue

pencil , and to prevent detect ion , the gem is set before i t is

offered for sale.

Coun terf eit D iamonds. There are so many colorles s gems

which resemble the diamond that i t i s quite difficult , if n o t

imposs ible , for one , not an expert , t o detect the spurious from

the genuine article. Rock - crystal,colorless variet ies of spinel,

topaz, emerald , sapphire, beryl, and zircon , have all pas sed for

diamonds . White zircon and phenakite, of al l natural counter

feits, come nearest to them in play of colors ; rock- crystal is

inferior in lustre .,The Novas Minas or white topaz of Brazil ,

sometimes cal led the “ S lave’s diamond,” i s very hard and

bril l iant, but lacks the adamant ine lustre and iridescence of

the true diamond .

Variou s methods are employed to detect counterfeit s of th is

gem , depending upon its pecul iar propert ies , such as its

electrical powers , i t s s ingle refract ion by which i t i s d ist in

guished from most other precious stones ; but the most

decided tests are, probably, those of hardness and specific

gravity. The mos t convenient method of test ing the dia

mond, i t has been said , i s to submit it to a white heat and then

apply the po int of a sapph ire . If it i s genuine, it will undergo

the former ordeal without mel t ing, and the latter without

being scratched.

M in es and M in ing .—The uncertainty and hazards attend.


6 PR ECI OUS S TON ES .

The Brazil ian and Indian proces s of washing for the dia

m onds has been introduced into the South African mines,with very sat isfactory results in saving numerous specimens

o f smal l s ize, which constitute a large per cen t of al l the dia

m onds found in th is region .

As an illustrat ion of the labor required in th i s bus ines s , i t

i s stated that four hundred slaves were employed three months

t o remove a heap of cascalho estimated at fifty thousand

dollars .

As an inducement to dil igen ce and honesty, freedom was

o ffered to every slave working in the mines who found a

diamond weighing seventeen and on e - half ounces . This event

was attended with cons iderable ceremony : the fortunate dis

c overer was crowned with a wreath of flowers,and carried in

process ion to the superintendent,who gave him a new suit of

c lothes and h is l iberty,together with permission to work in

the mines on his own account . A touch ing incident i s men

tion ed of a slave who j us t m issed the boon of freedom by the

lack of only on e carat .

Notwithstanding premiums were offered for large stones ,

and penalt ies in the form of chast isement s and imprisonments

were enforced for purloin ing the diamonds , yet a great many

were secreted by diggers even under the strict watchfulness

o f th e directors .

Some of the South American mines were remarkably pro

ductive, yield ing in a s ingle local ity from twenty thousand to

twenty-five thousand carats annually. The Rio Pardo , an

ins ignificant stream,afforded large quant it ies of bluish -green

stones,and the Valho those of large s ize and great brill iancy.

The diamond region of Cerro do Frio is said to cover about

fifty miles in l ength and twen ty in width . When first d is

c overed , th e diamonds of th is region were regarded as worth

THE D I A M ON D . 187

less pebbles , until some of themfound their way to Lisbon,

thence to Amsterdam , where their true nature was recognized .

The Brazilian government immediately t ook possess ion of

the territory, and assumed control of the mines . The amount

o f this precious commodity exceeded the expec'

tations of t he

most sanguine officers of the crown , and was suffic ient to meet

the demands of the Indian and European markets for a long

t ime . It has been est imated that during the first half century

after their discovery the value of the diamonds exported from

the mines of Brazil reached the. sum of s ixty mill ion dol lars .

The greater part , however , were small or of moderate s ize, not

more than on e specimen in one hundred thousand weighing

thirty- s ix or more carats . The exceeding richness of the

m ines st imulated privat e part ies to ask for the right to work

them on their own account . This privilege , granted by the

government , soon led to al l k inds of frauds , so that it was

c ompel led to resume control of the bus iness in 1772 ; con se

quently, al l the diamonds after that date have belonged to the

c rown . The most valuable gems exceeding seventeen carats

have been appropriated by the royal family, and, for th is

reason, the imperial t reasury, s ince the beginning of the

present century, has n early if not quite equalled that of any

o ther royal coll ection in the world,for the number, s ize, and

qual ity of i t s diamonds . Their aggregate value has been est i

mated at several mill ion dollars .

The diamond mines of Borneo are among the o lde st and

most product ive in the world ; as early as 1738, says Mr.

Streeter, the Dutch were extens ively engaged in the bus iness ,

and annually exported from th is i sland between two hundred

and three hundred thousand dollars worth o f diamonds . There

were few European courts of that period which could vie with

the Batavian in the rich and brill iant d isplay of these gems .

1 88 PR ECI OUS STONES.

The diamonds of the Borneo mines occur in beds from ten

t o th irty feet in depth , at the foot of mountains , the largest and

best specimens being found in the ' lowest strata . The Chinese

worked many of these m ines unt il the m iddle of the present

century, when they were driven away by the nat ives , a measure

which was immediately fol lowed by a decl ine in the supply.

D iamond-cutting . Having secured these valuable treasures

at great expense and trouble , th e quest ion is pertinent , what

shall be done'

with them ? If the fortun ate pos sessor i s onlya conno isseur, he wil l a rrange them in a cabinet for the admira

t ion of h imself and friends , but if he is fond of personal orn a

ments , he wil l want them cut and pol i shed, then mounted in a

convenien t form for use, s ince in their nat ive state they are not

adapted for j ewelry, and need the skill of the artis t to developtheir inherent beaut ies .

The pract ice of cutt ing and pol i shing gems is not as modern

as some writers are incl ined to bel ieve , but was known veryearly in the h is tory of art , i f H il l and others are correct in

their s tatements . I t i s thought the Phoenician s learned the

process of cutt ing prec iou s stones from the Assyrians , and

s oon diffused it through al l their colon ies , and that cutting and

mounting them were understood in Great Britain during the

Roman period. I t i s not pos it ively known that the diamond

was included in their l i s t of gems ; n e ither i s it certain it was

not.

We meet with confl i ct ing statement s in regard to the origin

of th e modern style of cutt ing and pol ish ing diamonds . I t has

frequently been ascribed to Louis cle Berghem or Berquem , of

Bruges , of the fifteenth century, and that the fi rs t diamond h e

cut was for Charles the Bold , Duke of Burgundy. On the

other hand , i t i s maintained that the art of cutt ing th is gem

was known long before h is day,as 15 proved by th e existence


r90 P R E 610US STONES.

whose establ i shment has been described in another chapter,

and by Mr. H . D . Morse of Boston,whose genius

,says Mr

.

Hamlin, l ed h im to invent a machine for cutt ing and pol ish ing

gems so that American j ewellers could have their work done

at home . He also succeeded in educat ing a corps of native

workmen , thus avoiding the necess ity of import ing cutters from

Amsterdam . Mr. Morse has cut and pol ished many large

gems , including o n e from the South African mines weigh ing

o n e hundred and twenty carats , reduced by the operat ion ,which required between three and four months ’ labor

,to a

beaut iful gem of seventy - seven carats .

Some interesting fact s about diamond- cutt ing were given at

a meet ing of th e N ewYork Academy of Sc iences , April , 1885,by Mr. G . F . Kunz , when he stated that an experiment was

made by Messrs . Tiffany and Company upon a diamond from

Brazil , a variety composed of numerous twinn ings , showing its

extreme hardness . The stone was placed on a pol ish ing -wheel,

with a c ircumference of two and on e- half feet , the wheel mak

ing 2800 revolutions per m inute . Bes ides the weigh t of the

holder, usually les s than three pounds , addit ional weights were

added from time to t ime , varying from four t o forty pounds ,

caus ing scint illat ions to be thrown off, and plough ing the

wheel , rendering i t unfi t for use. This proces s was repeated for

on e hundred days , yet such was the intense hardn ess of the

diamond that it had received scarcely any percept ible polish .

I t may be of some interest to the amateur or the owner of

diamonds to have a general idea of the method of cutting and

mounting them,as their beauty and commercial value are

more or less affected by the manner in which they are dressed .

The skilful lapidary wil l observe certain proport ions between

the several part s of the stone ; otherwise there will be a sacri

fice of brill iancy. This fact is illustrated by the Pit t or Regent

THE D IAM ON D . 19 1

diamond,cons idered the most faultless bril l iant known

,and

the KOh - i- noor, in wh ich proport ion is sacrificed to save los s of

weight,

* the breadth being too great for the depth , con se

quently it i s deficient in brill iancy.

The forms of cutting precious ston es vary ; they are gen

erally classed as table, rose, brill iant , brill iolett e, step , and

cabochon.What i s called step - cut is adapted for many of the

transparent,colored stones

,while the translucent and the

Opaque variet ies are usually cut en cabockmz—that is , withoutfacets

,or as convex

,concave

,double convex or having on e flat

tened and on e convex surface . The garnet , it i s claimed , i s theonly transparent gem cut to advantage m caéocfion ; others ,l ike the ruby, sapph ire, and zircon , lo se in brill iancy by th is

method .

Al l diamonds , several centuries ago, were cut with a square

or oblong plane on both sides , one being much smaller than

the other ; they were des ignated table or Indian cut . At a

later period a form called the 7056 came into fash ion,which

consisted of a flat base and a dome above, usually with a double

row of facets present ing a figure like a half polyhedron . The

rose is much less expens ive than the bril l iant cut,and can be

fashioned out of very flat or c leavage stones . I t has been

stated that rose - cut d iamonds are somet imes of a s ize so smal l

as to require fifteen hundred to weigh one carat,which seems

incredibl e when th e extreme del icacy and skil l required for

such work are considered . This style Of cuttin g receives

different names , according to the number of facets the stones

display.

The brillian t i s a later invent ion ,and the one most in use ;

it s origin has been referred to Peruzzi, Of Venice, of the seven

A s a rule , the diamon d loses from one-third to two - thirds o f its weight by cutting and po lishing.

1 92 P R E CI OUS STONES .

t een th century. I t has been described as present ing the ap

p earan ce Of two cones united at their base, the U pper being

t runcated. The technical terms for the different parts are the

t able or flat upper surface, called the crown , th e pavil ion or

base, compris ing the lower part of the stone, the culet or col let ,the under plane Opposite the table, the girdle or th e j unction

o f the pyramids , and the beasil, or slant ing edge.

There are certain proport ions to be Observed in th is mode of

c utting, as the table must be four- ninths the size of the stone,

the col let on e - s ixth of the tab le, from the tab le to the girdle

m ust be on e- th ird Of the whole th ickness , and from the girdle

t o the co l le t two - th irds . The perfect brill iant requires at least

fi fty- six facets, th irty- two above and twenty- four bel ow the

g irdle sometimes they have more . These facets are of various

f orm s and sizes , des ignated by different names , as star facets ,skil l facets

,and others . The above rules are n ot always

s trictly observed in cutting.

The brz’

llz'

olette has been described as two rose - diamonds

«entirely covered with small facets , and j o ined at the base

s everal notable diamonds are cut in th is style. The point , a

name stil l in use,consist s of a four- s ided pyram id . A diamond

should be cut with a thin edge at the girdle in order to display

i t s prismat ic play of colors to the best advantage. Experi

e n ced lapidaries regard Indian - cut stones and many of recent

workmanship defect ive in their style of cutt ing : thos e from

the East are frequently produced from flat , veiny stones , called

lasques,in the form of s ingle brill iants, which are greatly

inferior to the double bril l iant .

I t has been thought the art of cutt ing the diamond Orig

in ated in India, though the nat ives prefer the gem in its rough

s tate or as pol ished by a natural process , when they are called“ naifs. ” Oriental lapidaries resort to t he skilful art ifice of


I94 P R E CI OUS STONES.

th e United States , while th ose of inferior grade are purchased

in eastern Europe.

Gold is most frequently used for mounting gems,though

si lver i s cons idered by some lapidaries the most appropriate for

colorless variet ies , s ince it preserves their transparency more

effectually, and enhances their brill iancy. On e method of

mounting i s by the c los e sett ing, with only the upper part

vis ible, and another by the Open sett ing, l eaving the edge of th e

stone clear th e latter i s preferred for the diamond .

Eng raved Diamonds — It seems strange there should be

any diffe rence of Opinion on th is sub j ect among writers on

precious stones , but such i s the fact ; some who ough t to know

maintain that i t neither has been nor can be en graved , whil e

others support the Oppos ite view. The historical evidence that

engraved diamonds have been known , seems to be conclus ive .

Cors i , an Ital ian ant iquary, says Ambrose Carado ssa, in 1502,

was the fi rst t o engrave the diamond,and accompl ished a work

of th e kind for Pope Jul ius I I . The discovery of the method has

been ascribed by others t o Trezzo,a celebrated Milanese art ist ,

who executed several engravings upon th is gem . His fi rs t

attempt represented the coat - Of- arms of the Emperor Charles

V. then followed the portrait s of Don Carlos , Mary Queen of

England,Mary Queen of Scots , and the arms of Phill ip I I . Of

Spain , al l the works Of this engraver or some of h is pupil s .

A number of intagl i were cut on diamond by the Cinque - cento

art ist s . According to S tosch , both Giovanni and Carlo Cos

tanza,modern Italian artist s , executed some fine portraits on

the diamond , ment ioned in the chapter on“ Engraving i on

Precious Stones . ’ O ther instances could be cited, but they are

not needed to prove what is so well known . Several engraved

diamonds, the product ion s of the Costanzi , were stolen at the

robbery Of the Galleria del la Gemma, in Florence, in

TIIE D IAM OND . 195

The royal collect ion of England is said to contain the diamond

s ignet - ring of Charles I I . when Prince Of Wales,bearing the

ostrich plumes .

Trade and price.

—Diamonds are subj ect to the same commercial laws which govern the value of every other commodity

- those Of demand and supply. There has been a gradual

advance in the price of these gems for the last th irty years,

partly on account Of the exhaust ion of the Indian

mines , part ly the fall ing Off in the supply from 1 M

Brazil , and part ly on account of the constantly

increasing demand for them . The proport ionate

increase in the price for small stones has been

greater than for large ones . Colored diamonds,when Of a decided , beautiful hue , as red, green ,

blue, and some other t ints , frequently bring a

very great price. I t is said that a fine green

specimen of only eight grain s , belonging to the

collect ion of the Marquis Of Drée , was sold for

a sum equal to a large fortune . I t has been

est imated that diamonds represent n inety per

cent Of all the large amount of capital invested

in precious stones , which proves their use as an

ornament vastly exceeds that Of any other gem . They are sold

by a weight called a carat,a word of Indian origin

,supposed

to be derived from the seed of a plant , and varies in different

countries ; formerly, i t was reckoned at four grains troy, “ even

beam ,

”but now it falls below that weight .*

In it s early h istory, the diamond had no fixed standard of

prices , but later a rule was adopted, by which the value was

I t is reported that a stan dard o f the diamon d carat at .205 grain s wasagreed upon by a syn dicate of Parisian jewe llers, go ldsmiths, and gem dealers, in187 1 , and was subsequen tly confirmed by an arrangemen t between the diamon dmerchan ts of Lon don

,Paris, and Amsterdam .

196 P R E CI OUS STONES.

reckoned in proportion to the square of it s weigh t ; or the

value was the square Of th e weight in carats mult ipl ied

by eight ; * as , for example, a diamond of on e carat being

forty dol lars,according to th is computat ion , o n e of two carats

would be on e hundred and sixty do llars , and on e Of ten carats

four thousand dollars . This method of valuat ion , which i s

not n ow used, could be appl i ed only to stones of moderate

s ize,s ince those of great weight, sold in th is way, would cost

a fabulous price. For more than a century, the value Of the

diamond has been based upon the form of the brill iant , whil e

that of the table , rose , and other styles of cutt in g depends

upon other circumstances . The t int , the water, and the skill

d isplayed in cutt ing and pol ishing are considerat ions to be

taken into account , when purchas ing th is gem .

Perfectly colorles s diamonds , ent irely free from al l impuri

t ies , resembling a drop Of the clearest water, and”

exhibit ing

the highest lustre, are said to be Of the “ first water,those

of inferior grade of the second , etc.

A t the presen t date, a diamond of one carat, and Of perfect form, is worth

from one hundred to two hun dred do l lars.



Very young persons were often emp loyed in some depart

ments Of the bus ines s , and soon acquired the habit of j udging

the value of a stone with remarkable discernment.Rewards

were Offered for al l spec imens exceeding fourteen carats

weight, but this inducement was powerless in prevent ing

frequent theft s consequently, some of the best spec imens were

appropriated by the miners . All diamonds above ten carats in

weight were reserved for the royal treasury.The R aolconda

mines were at that t ime considered the richest i n India,if not

in the world , and employed th irty thousand laborers at once to

work them .

The Coulour, Co lore, or Gan i m ine, the former name received

from the Persians , the latter from the nat ives, was discovered

about a century after the R aolconda both are in the south

central part Of India, and several days j ourney from Golconda.

The Gani diamonds were accidentally discovered while digging

a piece of ground for agricultural purposes , by a native laborer,

whose first prize was a stone of twenty-five carats , soon

followed by a plentiful harvest , which yielded some en ormous

gems,including the Great Mogul , and another, weighin g nine

hundred carats,presented to the Empero r A urungz eeb.

Though the Coulour or Gan i mines were remarkable for the

number and s ize of the stones , yet these were not generally of

the purest water, many of them being t inged with green or

yellow.

There were about s ixty thousand persons , including all

ages and both sexes , engaged in these m ines at the t ime of

Tavernier's firs t vis it .

The diamond local it ies in the region Of R aolconda were once

n umerous ; th is traveller mentions as many as twenty mines ,

but s ince his day they have all .been abandoned except two o r

three. The Punn ah beds, in no rth central India , s ituated on a

HOM E OF THE D IAM OND . 199

table - land elevated from twelve hundred to thirteen hundred

feet above sea- l evel, have been famous s ince the reign of the

Ptolem ies . This region , vis ited at the beginn ing of the

present century , was found to contain diamonds in gravel beds

a t a depth of from six to twenty- four feet.

The S umbulpoor mines , in the region Of the M ahanuddy

river,are of great ant iquity, and supposed to be the oldest in

India . At the t ime of Tavern ier’s vi sit , some of the mines in

the Carnat ic province had been closed by order of the em

peror, on accoun t of the imperfection Of the gems . Indian

diamonds were Obtained from river-beds by a process s imilar to

that pract ised in Brazil .

Diamonds have been found in numerous local it ies in India,

besides those j ust des ignated . Mines were formerly worked

a long the Coromandel coast , and among theh ill s Of Bengal , but

they have also been abandoned, from on e cause or an other—itcould not have been from exhaust ion and th is country, at the

present t ime, not only furnishes none for the market , but de

pends upon exportat ions for her own supply ; st ill , i t is thought

there is an abundant store of these precious stones in this won

derful land , which may yet be developed .

Born eo .

—This extens ive island is supposed to be very productiv e in diamonds , but authent ic accounts of the mines are

very meagre, owing to the obstacles in the way of exploring,aris ing from the Opposit ion of the nat ives

,and the diffi culty Of

penetrat ing the interior, where they occur. The characte rof the mines , as far as i s known , i s s im ilar to those in India,the gems being found at different depths in gravel . The dia

m onds of Borneo , said to be the bes t in the world, are cele

brated for the ir remarkable adamant ine lustre .

Braz il. - It was n ot unt il 1727 that the real character of

t he Brazil ian diamond was known this was Obtained not from

200 P R E CI OUS S TOIVES .

the nat ives ,—they were ignorant Of the gem in its originalstate ,—but through a Portuguese, who , suspecting the ir tru enature , sent some diamond pebbles to Lisbon for examination .

The tests appl ied proved h is suspic ions well founded, and the

discovery created a great sensation among the dealers in

Europe .

The Dutch , who had a monopo ly of the India trade, made

an effort to deprec iate the Brazil ian diamonds by pronouncingthem spurious , but they were countervailed in th eir designs

by a skilful manoeuvre of the dealers , who firs t sent them to

India, then resh ipped them to Europe as Indian stones , and had

them cut after the Indian fashion .

Stories about the product iveness of the South American

m ines seem fabulous . The d iamonds were found scattered

about in the mo st lavish manner, and were picked up bych ildren and s laves, and even seen adhering to the roots o f

vegetab les . The vast extent of thes e diamond-fields, and their

exceeding richness in this prec ious stone , at first caused a great

panic in commercial c ircles , from fear Of overproduction , but that

result has been greatly neutral ized by the difficulty and danger

of working the mines , and the constantly increasing demand

for th is gem . As an instance of th e immense yield in Brazil ,

the Bank Of Lisbon is said to have sold , in 1 863, a collect ion

of these diamonds made by John VI . , in 182 1 , valued at o n e

mill ion eight hundred thousand fran cs , and st il l there remains

to the Portuguese crown an overplus , in these gems , valued at

th irty-five mill ion francs . Europe received from Brazil , during

the firs t twenty years after the discovery o f the m ines , more

than three mill ion carats Of diamonds . The total production

from 186 1 to 1867 was nearly one and one-half mill ion dollars .

The various estimates in regard to the yield of the Brazil ian

m ines are, no doubt, to a greater or less extent , conj ectural,



e rer received no compensat ion for his troub le, and was left to

find his way back as best he could .

The richest mines , in the Opinion Of King, are th ose of the

S ierra da Frio,which , s ince their open ing in 1727 , have

yielded more than two tons of diamonds . Burton,who vis ited

the mines of Minas Geraes , says , s ince their Opening in the

seventeenth century, to 1850, they have yielded nearly s ix

m i l l ion carats , valued at m ore than fifty mill ion dol lars , be s ides

those surrept it iously secured by the miners . In a single year

the Portuguese imported from these m ines between eleven

h undred and twelve hundred ounces o f diamonds . The

g overnment, to protect it s assumed right to all the gems

found in the territory, had recourse to the unj ust act of driving

away the inhabitants l iving on the banks Of th e rivers where

th ey were found , and many Of th e poor fugit ives perished

f rom want , before the edict for their rest orat ion to their pos

sess ions was promulgated,in 1805.

The Bah ia mines,embracing a territory eighty miles long

and forty wide, wh ich were discovered by a slave, were Opened

about forty years ago,and to the year 1880 had yield-ed nearly

t en mill ion carats of diamonds . The product ion was so great

that their value was reduced at least on e half, but at presen t

the yield i s considerably less . The s tones are found in th e

c ascalho taken from the beds of streams , and sen t to Rio , at

great trouble and expense,for exportat ion to foreign markets .

The South American diamonds are known in commerce as the

D iamantin a and the Cin cora the former are cons idered the best .

The Brazil ian diamonds were formerly thought to be

different in some of thei r ‘ essent ial qual itie s from the Indian ,

but it i s now conceded that they are al ike with the except ion

o f a sl ight d ifference in specific gravity , the oriental being a

littl e heavier.

HOM E OF THE D IA M ON D . 203

The largest part of the South American diamonds are

c olorless , while the remainde r display a great variety o f hues,

blue,green

,yellow

,brown , pink, milky wh ite, and , rarely, black.

The collect ion of the Prince Regent , at the t ime o f Mawe ’s

v is it, comprised a specimen exh ibit ing several'

colors, a rare

o ccurrence with th i s gem .

S oul/z Af rica .

—The discovery Of the diamond - fields of this

region , in 1867 , created a great sensation in both hemispheres ,

and awakened a spirit Of enterprise among those who were

eager to amass a sudden fortune . They occupy a small portion

Of the western part of the Orange River Free States , estab

lished by the Dutch about the m iddle of the present century,covering the territory between the Orange and the Vaal rivers ,

extending,however

,into some of the neighboring states .

A l though a surprise to foreigners , the diamonds had been

known to the natives long before , and , as early as 1750, were

employed for dril l ing rocks .

The recent discovery was acc identally made by a trader, on

o n e Of h is j ourneys into the interior, who , while pass ing the

n ight with a Dutch farmer, had his attent ion attracted to a

pebble with which the children were playing, o n account of it s

resemblance to a diamond . He expressed h is Opinion to hi s

h ost , and upon examinat ion by a competent j udge , i t proved to

be correct ; the pebble was indeed a genuine diamond, weigh

ing twenty- two and on e-half carats , and was subsequently sold

for several thousand dol lars . Not long after th is discovery

the Star of South Africa ” was found , which brought fifty- s ix

thousand dollars .

New and rich fields were frequently developed during the

years 1870and 187 1 , which st imulated the government of Great

Britain to take possession of the whole territory by formal procla

mation , an act wh ich set as ide the treaty making i t a free state.


These diamond-mines are of two kinds : they are known by

the name Of “ river diggings ,” existing in depos its of grave l con

tain ing agate and j asper pebbles ; and“ dry diggings

,

” in rocks

n ot dis integrated. The bed Of the Vaal , as wel l as the drift on

i t s banks , says Morton , i s made up Of agate,j asper

,chalcedony

pebbles , and quartz crystals, with diamonds interspersed .

Judging from the appearance of these gems found in the

gravel , it i s though t they must have travelled far and per

haps been subj ec t to glac ial act ion .

The mines called the “ dry d iggings are found in what is

called the Karoo formation , a conglomerate occupyin g an

extens ive plateau , elevated some five thousand feet and spread

over a territory covering two hundred thousan d square m iles .

The diamond was n o t, probably, formed in the place where it:

was discovered, but is an acc idental const ituent of the pudding

stone. Fragments Of the broken crystal s , as well as ent ire

pebbles , are scattered with remarkable regularity throughout

the mass, but are never found near o n e another. I t i s men

tion ed as a rare occurrence that a diamond geode was brough t

t o l ight during the mining at the Cape .

The soil directly below the surface is described as chalky,

and interspersed with nodu l es enclo sing diamonds . Un der the

chalk rest s a yellowish mass,containing more of the prec iou s

substance, but the richest harvest is gathered from the co n

glomerate called by the miners “ b lue stuff, found at a depth

of fifty or s ixty feet, and Often inclos ing topaz, z ircon ,

'

jasper,

agate, Opal , and other prec ious stones . A claim compris ing

th ree hundred square feet of this conglomerate has been est i

mat ed worth from five thousand to forty thousand dollars ,—th e difference of price varying according to circumstances .At a place called Du Toit ’s Pan , twenty-five miles from the

“ river diggings , the m ines , covering many acres , have y ielded



and uncertainty of the business . The extent and resources

Of these diamond-fields are stil l problems , but as far as they

have been explored , there i s l ittle to fear from exhaust ion for

many generat ions to come ; while, on the other hand, there i s

small probabil ity that the yield will ever be so enormous as to

degrade this peerles s gem to a common rank among orn a

mental stones . Nature, it has been said, has guarded the dia

mond with special care , by placing it in regions diffi cult of

access , or in s ituat ions taxing the ingenu ity and endurance Of

man to get posses s ion of it .

A ustralia — The discovery of Austral ian diamonds was

made as early as 1860, but Operat ions for min ing did not begin

unt il n ine years later, under the management of the Australian

Diamond Miners ’ Company ; th e principal mines are the

Bingera and the Mudgee . The mines Of the Bingera district ,four hundred miles north of Sidney

, on the Big River, were

discovered in 1867 , by gold diggers , as it generally happens

the diamond is found with or near this precious metal ; no

stones were found in the rivers except where the soil from

the gold wash ings had been discharged. The Bingera dia

monds occur e ither in the Devonian or the Carboniferou s

s trata,scattered from a few feet below the surface to nearly

seventy feet in depth .

The Austral ian diamonds are sparsely scattered, and are

generally of a small s ize , the largest not often surpassing

eight carat s .

The fi rst diamond found in Australia, a stone weighing

three - fourths of a carat,i s exhibited in the Museum of Practi

cal Geology, London .

R ussia — In the early part Of the present century, the

attent ion of‘ geologists was directed to eastern Russ ia as a

probable diamond region on account of i ts resemblance , in

HOM E OF THE D I A M ON D . 207

some Of it s natural features , to Brazil. A few years later,

these gems were actually discovered by Humboldt and Rose,o n the west s ide of the Ural ian chain, in the gold-bearing

alluvium on the banks of the river A dolfskoi, several feet

above a stratum contain ing foss il remains of . the mammoth ,

which has led some eminent scient ist s to conclude that the

diamond Of this region was formed since the exterminat ion of

th is gigant ic mammal . S ince their first discovery, these pre

cious stones have been found scattered along the western

declivity of the Ural s, but no t in large numbers as in the

m ines of South America and South Africa.

*

There is no country of modern t imes , unless it i s Persia or

Brazil,that has a more extens ive collect ion of diamonds , and

so many of remarkable s ize and beauty, than Russ1a, many Of

them Obtained by conquest,treaty

,purchase, or inheritance .

The display of wealth in th is gem at the London Expos it ion

of 1851 was unsurpassed . Among the exhibits from that

country, were a magnificent d iadem comprising 18 14 bril l iants ,

17 12 rose diamonds , 1 1 very fine opals,and 67 rubies ; bes ides

a bouquet of diamonds made in imitation of the eglantine and

the l ily Of the valley, and a wreath of d iamonds represent ing

the bryony bearing pear- shaped emeralds . I t is reported that

a splendid necklace of twenty- two large brilliants , with pen

dant s composed of fifteen diamonds of large size, forms on e of

the treasures of the Winter Palace .

T/ze Un ited S ta tes—The gold - producing regions of the

United States, extending from Virginia to Alabama, have long

been known to yield the diamond,says Mr. Hamlin , but no

systematic mining operat ions have been inaugurated , and the

spec imen s discovered have been the result Of accident rather

A false diamon d , which can n o t be distinguished by sight from the gen uin e , isabundant in S iberia, but its use, it is said, is strictly prohibited in R ussia.

z oS P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

t han des ign . I tacolumite, a format ion in which th i s gem is

found , occurring along th is belt , has yielded some good speci‘

m ens in Alabama, weighing from three to four carats . Gold

m iners in the northeastern part Of Georgia have occas ionally

f ound diamonds in the . gravel, and from an examinat ion of o n e

o f their mines , th is writer i s persuaded that the region is a

true diamond-field. Al l the stones from this sect ion of the

s tate are finely crys tall ized .

Mr. Kunz mentions several local it ies where these precious

stones are found ,—in Idaho, Co lorado, Californ ia, and other

g old - bearing regions, but generally Of small s ize and not in

sufficient numbers to warrant any extensive mining for them

t he garnet d istricts of Arizona and New Mexico are cons idered

f avorable for their production .

Several diamonds Of some value have been discovered in

North Carol ina , while Cal ifornia has yielded th is gem in iso

lated specimens,i n nearly twenty different local it ies , one stone

h aving been known to weigh between seven and eight carats .

But.

the largest nat ive diamond yet known was found in

M anchester, Virginia, in 1855. I t has been described as

o ctahedral in form , Of perfect transparency, and del icate

greenish t inge,but with a sligh t flaw ; i t weighed before cutt ing

n early twenty- four carats , and was valued at four thousand

dol lars . I t was cut by Mr. H . D . Morse Of Boston , an Opera

t ion which reduced its weigh t to eleven and eleven - s ixteenths

c arats , and was considered at on e t ime worth s ix thousand

dollars , but as the color i s defect ive, it s commercial value i s

e st imated greatly below that price . Regarded as the larges t

diamond th is country has yielded , i t has someth ing above a

m oney value , and should be placed in the Nat ional Museum ,

a t Washington .

T/ze A riz ona S windle—A few years ago , i t was reported


O P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

quo ted,as well as for the refutation of what is erroneous

,i t may

be stated that the fi rm of Tiffany and Company, during the las t

year imported a collect ion of diamonds in the rough,

including 882 spec imens, weighing in the aggregate about 1775carats

,besides a number enclosed in the diamond - bearing rock

,

increasing the l is t t o 904 spec imens , represent ing 1876 carats .

The collection embraces diamonds Of various colors,—purewhite, bluish -white, grayish -white, white with yel l ow spots ,

l ight and deep brown , different shades of green , smoky, gray,

rose, reddish , yellow, and black . A large part Of these stones

are of small s ize, though several specimens exceed ten carats

i n weight, including a white diamond with striated faces ,

weighing nearly twelve carats , a smoke - brown exceeding fiftys even , another brown gem of more than eleven carats , a fine

yellow of twenty,a white twin octahedral of more than fifteen ,

bes ides s everal specimens of bort and diamond conglomerates

weigh ing individually from nearly fo rty- nine carats to more

than o n e hundred and s ixteen . A smal l number Of th e

coll ect ion were obtained from Brazil,and the remainder from

South Africa.

CHAPTER XII .

HISTOR ICA L A N D R EM A R KA BLE DIAM ON DS .

CER TA IN diamonds have played so prominent a part in

human affairs that they have become historical , and are en

t itled to individual names and a special biographical not ice .

When it i s considered that i t const itutes the most important

gem in regal crowns and other emblems of rank and royal

authority,i t wil l be seen there i s no material substance which

has exercised such an influence upon the dest iny of races and

nat ions, or has been connected with so many tragical events , as

the diamond. What bloody wars have been waged , what actsof inj ust ice

,Oppres sion

,and treachery, have been perpetrated,

al l to gain a diadem,th e symbo l of sovereign power "

Many others , though with no tradit ional or h istorical fame,have an interest on account of their s ize

,beauty

,or commercial

value,'

which ent itles them to a rank among th e celebrated

diamonds of the world . There are in all,probably

,from

eighty to on e hundred gems Of th i s species which may be

call ed remarkable for some inherent qualit ies or acquired fame

they possess . These have been described by variouswriters

upon the subj ect , with a difference of Opinion on some points ,but with a general agreement of the leading facts in relat ion to

a maj ority Of th is l ist , though in regard to a part of th e

number there are irreconcilabl e contradict ions respecting their

we ight , history, and even iden tity.

Large diamonds have always been rare ; it has been

est imated that the actual number over th irty carats exist ing2 1 1


in every part of th e world cannot be more than one hundred,

o f which , it i s thought, about fifty are in Europe,and the

remainder in Pers ia , India, Borneo , and , it may be added , on

theWestern Continent . This number i s con stantly increas ing

by new discoveries, and it would be difficult to give an exact

est imate at the present t ime .

A Portuguese dealer of the sixteenth century declared that

no specimens of more than th irty- seven and one -half carat s

ever left India unles s by stealth , so strict were the laws to

keep all the finest and largest d iamonds from being exported .

Mawe, writ ing in 1839, expressed the opin ion that the whol e

number of diamonds in Europe d ist ingu ished for the ir size and

beauty scarcely reached half a dozen , and these were in the

possess ion of sovereign princes . Since then the number has

been great ly augmented by the discovery of n ew source s of

supply,and the removal of restrict ions upon the exportat ion

from their nat ive countries .

Without taking the Braganza into the account , there are

only two kn own diamonds— both uncut—that weigh morethan three hundred carats

,and seven whose weight exceeds

two hundred. There are about twenty with a size exceeding

o n e hundred carats , wh ile all th e rest of the catalogue of

celebrated diamonds fal l below on e hundred.

At a sale of the effects of the late Duke of Brunswick, h is

c ol lection Of diamonds included seven ranging from th irty

seven to eighty- one carats in weight . Two Of the Oldest

authen t ic d iamonds in Europe, except ing the KOh - i- noor, —Oneof twenty- four carats , and the other exceeding that weigh t ,

are said to belong to the Sul tan of Turkey.

Tile Kaii - i-n oor, orKo/z- i-N ar.

—No diamond , probably , hashad a more - romantic h istory, or has figured more largely in the

affairs of nations and individuals , than the KOh- i- noon, or



fortunate or unfortunate posses sor Of th is i ll- omened treasure,

“ a stone of fate,” and from him it descended to his heirs .

The last of the l ine, Shah S oujah , kept th is o n e cherished

treasure during his impri sonment and exile unt il R unjeet S ingh

compelled h im to sel l i t for o n e hundred and fifty thousand

rupees. After the subj ugat ion of the S ikhs by the Engl ish ,

and the annexation of the Punjaub to Briti sh India, i n 1849,

the c ivi l authorit ies took possession Of the treasury at Lahore,

under the st ipulat ion that all th e property o f the State

shou ld be confiscated to the East India Company,and

that the KOh - i- noor should be presented to th e Queen

Of England : thus the “ tal isman Of Indian sway passed

from the land Of it s birth to the royal treasury of Windsor

Castle.

There is no t much doubt , says King, that i t i s the same

diamond ment ioned by Baber, the founder of the Mogul Empire

Of India, in 1526, and the on e captured by the Raj ah of

Malwar, in 1304.

ale After fall ing into the hands Of Baber it

became associated with the most stormy events Of modern

h istory. The unfortunate Shah Rokh , when subj ected to the

mos t cruel tortures by Aga Mohammed , to compel h im to

reveal the h iding-place of th is coveted treasure , refused to

y ield it, though suffering the keenest agonies .

Tavern ier saw th is diamond in the treasury Of the Great

Mogul,A urungz eeb, in 1665. Professor Tennant says there

is strong probabil ity that it i s a part of the original gem Of the

same name, which was taken from the m ines near R aolconda,

and was seen by this traveller during h is explorat ions Of th e

Indian diamond-fields. Tennant concurs with the Opinion Of

Professor Nicol that the Great Mogul, th e’

KOh - i-noor, the

3“This author believes its career can be ful ly authen ticated from the time Of its

possession by the R ajah Of M alwar to the presen t time.

HIS TOR I CA L A N D R E III A R KA BLE D I AM ON DS .2 15

O rloff, and another, a nameles s stone, were all parts of on e enor

m ous diamond .

The Hindoos have a superst itious bel ie f that th i s gem

brings certain ruin upon the person or dynasty possessmg Tt,and i t i s a remarkable h istorical fact that every owner except

the las t,was the vict im of adverse fortune if a ruler

,his own

power or that of h is l ine was overthrown , and , adds King,as if its malign influence still accompanies it , not long after

the Koh- i- noor became th e property of the English crown,the

=Sepoy mutiny occurred , by which the government came near

losing al l India .

Tavernier gives the original weight of the KOh - i- noor 793c arats ; after it was broken , it was reduced to 2791

9

3 carats ,uncut . I t i s not a l ittle remarkable that there should be any

difference in the estimate of the weight after it was cut and

recut, yet such is the case . Church places the s ize at 193i

carats Indian cut , and 1022 London cut ; Westropp gives the

weight and 103-2; King, 1865 and 1025; Emanuel , 186 and

1061-17; carats . When fi rst imported into England it was th e

largest in Europe except the Orloff, but at the present t ime it

i s surpassed by several others .

The recutt ing of th is d iamond was performed in London by

s team power, under the d irection of art ists from Amsterdam,

and occupied thirty - eight days , at a cost of forty thousand dol

lars . I t i s cut in the form of a bril l iant,which involved great

w aste of material ; and , though the beauty of the gem may

have been enhanced by th is Operation,which i s a matter Of

doubt , and some of it s defects removed or rendered less appar

en t , yet , in the Opin ion of many, i ts value as an h istorical

monument has been greatly dimin ished.

. T/ze Great M og ul.—This is the largest authent ic diamond

ever yet d iscovered ; the only o n e surpass ing it , denominated


the Braganza, or th e King Of Portugal’s , is supposed to be a.

topaz . I t was discovered in the mines of Gani , or Coulour, in

1650, and came into the possess ion Of the vizier o f the KingOf Golconda, who had amassed great weal th by farming the

diamonds . Becoming the obj ect Of j ealousy to h i s royal

master, the m inister escaped from court , taking with him al l

h is treasures , and found his way to the capital of A urungz eeb,

one of the most celebrated of the Mogul rulers . Here the

fugitive vizier became a favorite by h is mun ificen t presents to

the emperor, including thi s famous diamond , which was from

i ts imperial owner, called the “ Great Mogul .”

It s weight at that t ime,according to Tavernier

,was

seven hundred eighty- seven and on e -half carats , but as it was

badly flawed it was decided to have it cut an Operat ion per

formed by an unskilful Venetian lapidary named Borgia, or

Borghis, who reduced it s weight nearly one - third . I t was cut in

the form Of a half egg, and covered with facets l ike a rose

diamond. The emperor was so offended at.

the great waste of

the stone,that he not only refused to pay th e operator his

st ipulated price,but imposed a fine of ten thousand rupees

for damages.The unfortunate Venetian , who evidently under

stood neither his busines s nor th e temper Of despotic princes ,

was glad to escape with h is l ife. The same or a s imilar inc i

dent has been related Of the KOh - i- noor, and Dieulafait thinks

i t was this diamond and not the Great Mogul wh ich Tavernier

saw at the emperor’s court.

The two gems have somet imes been confounded , and the

t radit ions of th e one have been merged with those of the other ;

yet they were perfectly di st inct , having l ittle in common except

their great s ize and their presence in the imperial t reasury.

The weight Of th is diamond , l ike the Koh - i- noor, has

been differently est imated at 900, and 787 -5 carats , before



Opinion as to its t rue character, some j udges bel ieving it to be

a topaz, others rock- crystal ; but as the government decl ines

h aving it tested, the doubt cannot be cleared up . It is about

the s ize of a hen ’s egg, and of a deep yellow color. I t was

found in Braz i l in 1741 , by a convict or a slave .

Some writers have cons idered the Braganza a different

s tone from the King of Portugal ’s , and ident ical with th e Por

tuguese Regent , a gem of two hundred and fifteen carats .

King mentions two uncut diamonds of about th is weight be

longing to the crown , and Streeter says the Regent and the

Braganza,which have been regarded ident ical , are different

stones .

Tl'

ie N iz am .

—The h istory of th is diamond is involved in

the Obscurity of a doubtful tradit ion , and though on e of the

largest on record, there is but l itt l e pos it ive knowledge

concern ing th is gem , except it s s ize , and present owner, the

Nizam of Hyderabad , a semi - in dependent ruler of the Deccan ,

for whom it was named . I t was discovered in the so - called

G olconda mines , which are in the dominions of th is prince , and

w eighs , in the rough , three hundred and forty carats, after

h aving been broken by some accident , during the great Indian

revolt ; before th is casual ty, i t s weight is supposed to have

been four hundred and forty'

carats .

Tne R aja/i of M a tan . This d iamond was found at Landak,

o n the western coast Of the island of Borneo , during the last

c entury. It is said to be egg- shaped , of the purest water, and

w eighs e ither three “hundred and sixty- s even o r three hundred

and eighty- seven carats,according to different est imates ;

cutt ing would probably reduce it below the O rl off . As its

t rue character has never been fully establ ished , it s large size

awakens susp1c1on of it s genuineness , but s ince the owner is

the Raj ah of Matan , there is l ittle probabil ity that it will ever

HIS TOR I CA L A N D R EM A R KA BLE D IAM ON D S .2 19

be proved beyond a doubt . I t has remained in the rul ing

family during four generat ions , and is regarded as a kind Of

tutelary deity, with m iraculous heal ing powers . The Dutch

government negot iated for it s purchase , offering the raj ah two

gunboats,with al l their stores and equipments

“

; and two hun

dred and fifty thousand dollarsin money ; but the owner could

n o t be induced to part with it On any terms , from the bel ief

t hat the perpetuity and succes s of his l ine depended upon h is

retaining possession Of th is gem . I t i s said to have been the

c ause of a destruct ive war, during some period of its h istory.

Tno Orlof .

- This celebrated gem has its tale of romance,

intrigue, and crime, it s remarkable h istory and confl ict ing

biographies,which place it alongside o f the Koh - i- noor for

dramat ic interest , while for s ize and beauty i t holds a firs t

rank among European diamonds .

The history o f the O rloff has so many different vers ions , i t

i s extremely difficult,if n ot impossible , to decide which is

authentic, especially as its career has frequently been merged

in that Of the Great Mogul,and also in a Persian diamond,

c alled the Moon of the Mountains . ” There is no doubt that

i t i s an Indian gem, that i t found its way t o Holland , thence

t o Russia, where it was placed in the imperial sceptre , and is

c ons idered the most remarkable diamond in the Russian

regal ia, and one Of the most famous in Europe ; but in relation

t o it s romantic history before it became the property of the

c rown , th e records diverge . I t was purchased at Amsterdam ,

by Prince O rloff, whose n ame it bears , for Catherine I I . ,

according to one h istorian,but

,fol lowing the annal s of some

o ther writers , i t has a more devious and adventurous career,

having once const ituted on e o f th e eyes of a famous Indian

idol , from which it was plundered by a French deserter, and

sold to an Engl i sh sea- captain ; from him i t passed to a Lon


don Jew,then to a Greek, who offered it for sale t o the

Empres s of Russ ia, but , Catherine dec l ining to purchase the

diamond,i t was bought by Prin ce Orloff, for four hundred

and fifty thousand dol lars , and a l ife annuity worth twenty

thousand dollars , and presented as a gift to his sovereign .

The patent Of nobil ity said to have been given to the

Greek merchant was conferred upon the owner of the

Moon of the Mountains ,” with whose h istory the Orloff has

been confounded . What became of the companion eye of the

Hindoo god has not been ascertained. Streeter discredits the

story of the idol , and says the Orloff was brought from

Seringapatam a fort ified island in Mysore , and that it s true

name was Koh - i-Tur. Another conj ecture about it s early

antecedents i s that it formed on e Of the trophies brought away

from Delhi by Nadir Shah,but was lost s ight of for a t ime

during the fierce struggles which ensued on the death Of Nadir,

was recovered and sold to an Armenian by on e of the Afghan

generals,and through the Armenian it reached the Russ ian

t reasury its course up to that event was marked by decept ion ,

theft,and murder. I t i s said the original name, given by the

Pers ians,was Koh - i-Tur, which has been rendered “ Mount

Sinai,

” and that,with the KOh - i- Nur, i t const ituted the eyes

of the bird in the famous Peacock Throne.

The Orloff is about the s ize of a pigeon’

s egg, of a yellow

ish t int,with a weight of from on e hundred and ninety - three

carat s to nearly on e hundred and ninety-five . The ident ity

of this d iamond with the Great Mogu l i s d isproved by the

great difference in s ize .

The A ustrian Yellow ,cal led al so the Gran a’Duke of Tasea

ny’

s,and Floren tin e Brillian t.—The ident ity and history o f th is

precious stone have been the foundat ion of much controversy,

which has n ot yet been sett led to the sat isfact ion of all part ies .



European owner,which

,with the Austrian Yellow, was lost on

the day Of h is memorable defeat ; and here begins the compli

cated knot of difficulties ' n ever yet completely disentangled .

The diamond was named for N icholas deHarlay, Seigneurde Sancy, at o n e t ime ambassador Of Henry IV. of France to

the court Of Queen Elizabeth . The Baron de Sancy, i t i s said

was the owner of two large diamonds , on e having been pur

chased when he was ambassador to the O ttoman court , and

the other was taken in pledge from Don Antonio,th e pre

tender to the Portuguese crown,for a loan of on e hundred

thousand l ivres , which , however, was never redeemed ; th is

account s for a part of the confus ion pertaining to the

subj ect .

De Sancy, as the story goes , in order to rais e funds for

Henry to en able h im to prosecute h i s wars , pledged the

famous diamond known as the Sancy to th e Jews o f Metz,

and sent i t th ith er by a trusty messenger, with the understand

ing that if the lat ter were attacked by banditt i , a danger

imminent in that turbulent period,he should swallow the gem .

The catastrophe did occur, the messenger was murdered , but

his master,havmg confidence in the fidelity of h is servant ,

recovered the body, and found the diamond in the stomach . A

lit tle different vers ion makes the king send the gem toHarlay,who was then in Switzerland , but for the same purpose .

A different account,which probab ly applies to another

diamond bearing t he same name, states that SeigneurHarlaysold the gem when minister to England, and that it i s men

tion ed in the inventory Of the crown j ewels in the Tower Of

London,made in 1605. I t remained in the posses s ion of the

royal fam ily until 1669, and is mentioned by Henrietta Maria .

This Sancy was the on e sold by James I I . , during his exile , toLouis XIV. ,

for on e hundred and twenty-five thousand dol

HI S TOR I CA L A N D R EM A R KABLE D I A M ON D S .223

lars it formed a part of the crown j ewels at the t ime of the

inventory of 179 1 , when its value was fixed at two hun dred

thousand dollars . I t was stolen at the robbery of the Garde

Meuble,and all traces of the diamond were lost unt il 1830,

when it reappeared as the property Of a merchant , but by what

means he obtained possess ion of it , or where it had been

concealed,i s involved in mystery .

A Sancy diamond became the property of the Demidoff

family Of Russ ia,and was the subj ect of a lawsuit, in 1 832,

with the direct or of m ines In Switzerland. Pending the trial ,

there was the most conflictihg te st imony concern ing it s

h istory,which could be accounted for only by admitt ing

there had been more than on e diamond of th i s name in the

Harlay family. The Demidoff gem was sold , in 1865, to an

Indian millionnaire,or Parsee merchant , of Bombay . But the

wanderin gs of this j ewel did n ot end here ; i t was sent to

Paris , where it was exhibited in 1867 , then retri'

rn ed to India,

When it was purchased by a nat ive prince , together with many

of the j ewel s Of th e Empress Eugenie , and was worn on the

recept ion of the Prince of Wales during his vis i t to the East .

The last possessor of th is mysterious gem has s ince died , an

event which may again change the fortunes of the Sancydiamond , and start it on its devious travels . Another account

varies , in some points , with that j ust related , and coinc ides with

others ; as , that i t was sold at Lucerne in 1492, came into the

possess ion of Portugal in 1594, and was so ld to De Sancy ; but

this leaves on e hundred years o f it s h istory unaccounted for,

which may include its career at the Burgundian and Engl ish

courts . After remaining in t heHarlay family more than a century

,i t was sold to the Duke o f O rleans , Regent of France . I t

disappeared during the French Revolution , but was recovered

and bought by Napoleon I . ,who sold it to Prince Demidoff.


S in ce that date, the different narratives are n early ident ical ,a nd probably authent ic.

Mr. Hamlin favors the Opinion that there have been three

different diamonds bearing the name of Sancy : fi rst,the on e

belonging to Charles the Bold ; second , th e one sent to the

Jews at Metz, bu t never redeemed, and noth ing further i s known

of it s histpry ; th ird , the Demidoff gem ,sold to an Indian

purchaser. The weight of the great Sancy has been given as

fifty- three and one-half, and also fifty- four carats , Indian cut .

Tko L ittle S an cy—This gem , worn by the bride on her

m arriage to Prince Albert of Prussia , led to a m istake in the

p ubl ic j ournals , where it was reported as the famous Sancy dia

.m ond. I t is a brill iant of th irty- four carats, and was pur

c hased by Prince Frederick Henry of Orange, grandfather of

-King Frederick I . , i n 1647, and thus passed into the royal

t reasury of Prussia. It i s bel ieved to be on e o f th e diamonds

o wned by De Sancy, bearing h is name, but dist inct from the

Great Sancy.

Tne D iamond of C/zarleS t/ze Bold—The j ewels Of th is

p rince, who was an indefat igabl e collector, have been the

s ource Of much bewildering speculat ion on the subj ect of h is

torical gems , which appears no nearer solut ion after the lapse

o f centuries than at fi rst . These treasures, lost on th e battle

field,have become ident ified with the fortunes o f the ir owner,

h en ce they are invested with a romant ic interes t beyond many

o thers , and have acquired a celebrity in the l iterature of pre

c ious stones . The h istory of th is diamond seems to be merged

in that o f the Great Sancy, at least through a part o f i ts career.

I t i s said to have been found by a Swiss soldier,who sold it for

a florin . Afterwards it was disposed Of to the Bernese gov

ernmen t for three francs, and passed , with other valuabl e

t rophies of th e victory, to Fugger.



The diamond was cut in London by han d, as a bri l l iant,weigh ing from one hundred and th irty- s ix to nearly one hun

dred and forty carats , as variously est imated, at a cost o f

twenty-five thousand dollars . The value of the fragment s

has been reckoned from seventeen thousand to forty thousand

dollars . The work required two years , while the operat ion of

cutt ing the KOh - i- noor was performed in thirty- eight days the

difference in t ime being due largely to the difference in the

agencies employed, —for the former, manual labor ; for the latter, steam -power.

As the diamond was n o t purchased by the Engl ish crown,

i t was so ld to the Regent of France in 17 17 whence the name

Regent—for s ix hundred and seventy - fivethousand dollars , a

price cons idered much below the true value ; i t was est imated

at the inventory made by the decree of the Constitut ional

Assembly at two mill ion four hundred thousand do l lars . At

the robbery of the Garde Meuble , th e Regent was stolen , but

recovered by a communicat ion from on e Of the party Of th ieves

reveal ing the spot where it was con cealed ; the reason given

for it s surrender was that the gem was so wel l known it

would n ot be safe to offer it for sale .

The Regent,i t has been said , laid the foundat ion of Napo

leon’s bril l iant career,s ince by pledging it to the Dutch

government,he obtained funds for prosecut ing his m il itary

Operations and for th e establ ishment of his power ; i t was

subsequent ly redeemed,and

,after he became emperor,

adorned h is sword of state . I t i s .a remarkable coincidence

in the h istory of this d iamond that it should have been con

n ected with th e fortunes of two eminent contemporary men

who were b itter foes,—Pitt and Napoleon ; for there is not

much doubt that th is gem had an influence in establ ish ing the

pro sperity Of the Pitt family—consequent ly, the success of the

HI S TOR I CA L A N D R EM A R KA BLE D IA M ON D S .227

great English stat esman . N o mention is made of the Regent

in the inventory made by Napoleon in 18 10, nor in any subse

quent official report of the crown j ewels , though it was exhibited

at the Expos it ion of 1855, and is claimed to be the most cOn

spicuous gem in the French crown . This celebrated diamond

is pre - eminent for it s symmetrical form , it s t ransparency,

purity, and beauty.

TneHope Blue.

—On e of the most common occurrences

connected with the h istory of precious stones is to find writers

on the subj ect disagreeing in their statements ; therefore, we

have another il lustrat ion in the.

gem known as the Hope B lue,

of the inexpl icable confu s ion of ideas regarding the ident ity of

celebrated diamonds . Three different blue stones of th is spec ies have been mentioned as belonging to France , the French

Blue, the Tavern ier Blue , and the Hope Blue ; and th e diffi

culty present s it self whether these are ident ical, or whether

there were three or even two blue diamonds , or whether the

genuine Hope is really in existence o r has been lost . Streeter

and some other writers bel ieve there was one large blue dia

mond cut into three stones,and that the Hope was on e of them .

The Hope Blue, of 447} carats , exhib ited at the Lon don Exposi

t ion of 1851 , among the French j ewels , i s described by Professor

Tennant, who says it combines the beaut iful blue of the sap

phire with the prismat ic “ fire ” and bril l iancy of the diamond .

I t was mounted as a medall ion,with a border

, en arabesque, Of

small rose diamonds surrounded by twenty brill iants,all of the

same size and O f the first water. This famous gem , unique

Of its kind, the most beaut iful specimen of blue diamond

known , was purchased by Mr . Hope , an Engl ish banker, for

the reputed sum Of s ixty- five thousand dollars ; a price, it i s

thought , far below its real value . The only other gem of

th e kind which can approach it in beauty i s the Blue


Diamond, weighing th irty- s ix carats, seen in the Munich

collect ion .

Tne Tauern ier Blue was brought from the Coulour mines,

with twenty-five other large diamonds,by the traveller whos e

name it bears , and sold to Loui s XIV. ,for five hundred

thousand francs and a patent o f n obil ity. It s original weight

was s ixty- seven and one - half carats , reduced by the lapidary to

forty- four and one - fourth .

Tne Fren e/t Blue has been represented as a fine gem belong

ing to the French crown , with a weight and value equal to that

of the Tavernier ; it i s suppos ed it was spl it , and on e Of the

pieces formed the Hope. These account s so far coinc ide as to

leave but l ittl e doubt of the ident ity Of the Tavernier Blue and

the French Blue,which was lost , i t i s bel ieved, at the robbery

of the Garde Meuble . The most remarkable feature about

these gems is that there should exist three blue diamonds of

precisely the same weight .

On e of the diamonds Of the lat e Duke of Brunswick claims

affinity with the Hope B lue, on account of it s remarkably

bril l ian t t int , and another blue specimen , formin g, says Mr.

Streeter, one of th e rarest j ewels in the world, seen in the

fashionable c ircles of London, i s referred to the same origin .

I t i s possible that al l these b lue d iamonds , if they ever existed ,once formed a part of an immense stone wh ich , by some un

known agent , was separated into several smal l er ones .

Tlie Great Table—The diamond seen by Tavernier in Indiacalled by th is name, weighed two hundred forty- two and on e

half carats,and presented the appearance of having been spl it ,

which suggested the idea that the R ussian TaOle, of s ixty- eight

c arats,may have been a part of i t . N O European expert has

ever seen it‘

sin ce Tavern ier’s day, and even its present owner

i s not known ; it may have been on e of the “ Thre e Tables ”



o f his enemies . The order respect ing the d iamond was

executed in h is presence, but fortunately the queen of the

harem escaped the bloody decree respect ing her fate .

Tne S ka/Z.

—This diamond formed a part Of the Persianregal ia from remote t imes, until it passed to the Russ ian

t reasury, where it now belongs . N O authent ic record of it s

earl iest history has been transmitted , but there is l itt le doubt

that i t originated in India, whence a large number of the

celebrated diamonds came . I t was one Of the valuable gems

plundered from the treasury Of Nadir Shah after h is death,but

i t was recovered and presented to the Emperor N icholas by

Prince Kosroes, son of Abbas Mirza, when on a vis it to St .

Petersburg, in 1843. The diamond is a long prism, of the first

water, and weigh s eighty- s ix carat s after att ing . It i s en

graved in A ralo -Pers ian characters , with the names of A kbah

Shah,N izam Shah , and Al i Shah , three Pers ian rulers , Lords

Of Irostan .

” It i s said that th is d iamond and the A kbah Shah

are the only ones brought from the East that have been

engraved.

Tne Akbali Snafu—This gem was found among the treasures of the Mogul emperors , and was engraved on both s ides

in Arabic ; on on e was the inscript ion , “ Shah A kbah , the

Shah of the World , 1028 A . corresponding to 1650 A . D. ;

o n the other s ide was engraved , TO the Lord of Two Worlds ,

1039 A . H .

”— 166 1 A . D . The diamond was lost s ight o f at

the close Of the seventeenth century, but has recently come

to light , so i t i s stated.

Tne S ka/t j e/zan .

—There are strong probabil it ies thatth is diamond is identical with the A kbah Shah . I t came

into pub l ic notice in Turkey, a few years ago , where it was

c alled the “ Shepherd’s Stone,and was purchased by an

Engl ish gentleman,who had it recut in London. I t was an

HI S TOR I CA L A N D R EM A R KA BLE D IAM ON D S .231

engraved stone, weigh ing one hundred and sixteen carats, but

the cutting ent irely effaced the inscription , and reduced the

s ize to seventy- two carat s . As it bore an inscription , i t must

have been either the Shah , or the A kbah Shah , since they

w ere the only engraved oriental d iamonds known ; i t could

not have been the Shah , and as it disappeared f or a t ime ,

and has recently been found , there seems to be but l ittle

doubt that the same diamond appears under two names .

The Shah Jehan was so ld t o the Prince of Baroda, of

I ndia , who became the possessor of several n otable gems

O f th is kind .

T/ie Darya- i-N iir.

—This Pers ian name,s ignifying, “ Sea

Of Light,

” expresses its remarkable lustre, for wh ich the

diamond is dist inguished ; i t is rose - cut and weigh s o n e hun

dred and eighty- s ix carats . I t was captured at Delh i by

Nadir Shah , and, on account Of its great s ize and brill iancy,

c onstitutes one of the finest gems in the large collect ion of

the Pers ian treasury .

T/te Tay- e-M ak . Crown Of the Moon — i s a diamond

but little inferiort o the “ Sea of Light ” in s ize and splendor ;it weighs on e hundred and forty- s ix carat s . Some authors

h ave thought it might be the Great Mogul bu t i t differs from

the Mogul in many essent ial points . Opin ions are not

uniform in regard to its early history ; according to o n e view,

it was found in the Indian mines on the river M ahanuddy,

i n 1809, and according to another, it was carried off in 1739,

by Nadir Shah , the freebooter of the East , upon whose

shoulders rest s the crime of steal ing nearly al l the famous

jewels of his t imes , thus making it appear that it was captured

before it was d iscovered , —a remarkable feat even for Nadir.Another theoris t tel l s us that this gem was owned by Shah

R okh , who Was tortured by Aga Mohammed to compel h im


to surrender it, a method by which many other valuable gems

were added‘

to the Pers ian crown .

*

Sir John Malcolm , who , when minis ter to‘ Pers ia, inspected

the regal ia, says the Darya- i-N ur was cons idered to have the

finest lustre of any diamond known , and, with the Tay- e-Mah,

const ituted the mos t i llustr ious o rnament of the Persian

regal ia. Some Of the other magnificen t d iamonds mentioned

by th is offic ial , besides the S ea of Light ,” and the Crown

o f the Moon ,” set in a magnificent pair of bracelets, valued at

five mil l ion dollars, are the “ Sea Of Glo ry," sixty - six carats ;

the “ M ountain Of Splendor, one hundred and th irty -five

carats ; the “ Throne, and the “ Sun Of the Sea , which

once ornamented the Peacock Throne at Delhi .

Tlie “M oon of the M oun tain s.

”—This d iamond was tornfrom the plumage of the Peacock , and carried Off to Persia,

and it s subsequent history is mixed up with the blackest

crime s on record.

After the assass inat ion of Nadir Shah , and the plunder Of

his treasures , an Afghan sol dier fled with th is gem to Shat -el

Arab,on the Red Se a, th e emporium Of trade between the

East and the West, for the purpose of dispos ing Of th is

precious stone with o thers robbed from the treasury Of Nadir,

in cludin g an emerald of rare beauty, a fin e ruby, a magn ificent

sapph ire cal led the “ Eye Of o ther valuable gems .

An Armenian trader,named S haffras, Opened negotiat ions for

their purchase ; but before the bargain was completed , the

Afghan,becoming alarmed lest h is robbe ry should be found

out,fled to Bagdad

,where he dispo sed of h is t reasures to a

J ew,for the trifle Of two thousand five hundred dollars .

S haffras followed the so ldier to Bagdad with the view of

securing the‘

gems , and, learn ing they were sold , he murdered

4“A similar in ciden t is related of the Koh- i-n oor.



weighed one hundred and fifty- seven and one - fourth carat s,

reduced to n inety- four and o n e- fourth by cutt ing. I t i s sup

posed to belong to the imperial t reasury of Russia,but if th is

i s true,it is remarkable that a diamond of that s ize should n o t

be known outs ide the Empire.

The Turhey , I and I I .—These gems

,represented as weigh ,

i ng on e hundred and forty- seven , and eigh ty- four carats , re

spectiv ely, belong to the Turkish regal ia, but l ittle or noth ingmore is known of them .

The P olar S tar, formerly owned by Joseph Bonaparte and

purchased by Paul I I I . of Russ ia, i s a brill iant of forty carats ,and i s dist inguished for its superior lustre and perfect purity.

The P asha of Egypt, bought by Ibrahim Pasha, for one hun ~

dred and forty thousand dollars , i s a bril l iant Of the same s ize

as the Polar Star, and has been considered the finest diamond

in the Egyptian collection .

The Coulour. But l ittl e i s known of some Of the historical

diamonds except the ir n ames and poss ibly their s ize ; hardly

anyth ing Of their origin or present owners , Such was the

Coulour, a gem weigh ing fi fty carats , brought to Europe by

Tavernier from the mines of India.

The P ear, of about the same s ize , seen by this traveller

among the j ewel s of th e Great Mogul , was reckoned one of

the troph ies of Nadir Shah ,and has been lost s ight of in

the vast Persian collection,or has been recut and cannot now

be ident ified .

The Taver nier, A , B , C, three diamonds sold to Louis

XIV. ,were supposed to be los t at the robbery of the Garde

M euble , though there is some probab il ity that the beautifu l

stone,weighing fifty- one carats , purchased by Napoleon I I I .

for th e empress , in 1860, may have been one of them , recut

as a brill iant .

HIS TOR I CA L A N D R EM A R KA BLE D IA M ON D S .235

The Crown , a diamond Of the s ize of th irty- two carats,

v alued at s ixty thousand dollars in the inventory of 179 1 ,

was placed in the Golden Fleece of the French regal ia.

The S avoy ,bequeathed to the crown of Savoy

, byQueen Christ ina

,in 1662, was . a table diamond, weighing

fifty- four carats

,and set in antique s tyle , with large pearls .

The Eug en ie—As the size of th is diamond corresponds

to that Of one Of the Taverniers , it has been thought by some

connoisseurs to be iden t ical with it , though th is circumstance

al one would not be regarded as. v ery strong evidence. This

gem has acquired a romantic celebrity from its connect ion

with the fortunes of royal personages . It was once used as

an ornament for the hair by Catherine I I . of Russia, who

presented it to on e of her subj ect s,as a reward for his

di st inguished publ ic services ; subsequently, the Russian gem

c ame into the possess ion of the French Emperor, and was

worn by the empres s as the centre brill iant in a‘

diamond

necklace . After the fall o f Napoleon I I I . , the Eugenie was

sold to the Prince of Baroda, for seventy-five thousand dollars ;but , as if

‘

some mal ign influence pass ed from this treasure to

its possessors,th is Indian prince was afterwards deposed , and

the diamond has disappeared .

The Dresden Green .

—Noth ing is known Of the antecedentso f th is exceedingly rare and beaut ifu l diamond , but it i s

thought to be Of Indian origin ; it constitutes o n e of the most

c onspicuous gems in the fine collect ion of the Green Vaults,

at Dresden , and is dist inct from the Green Brill iant , which

o riginally belonged to the E lector Augustus of Saxony, and

was worn as‘

a button for a hat - band . The Dresden Green

w eighs , according to Grasse , the director of the vaults ,

forty and on e-half carats,King says thirty and on e - fourth ,

and i s valued at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars .


Two large brill iants , of nearly forty- nine and th irty - nine

carats , respect ively, are included in th is magnificent colleet ion , the larger being known as the Dresden White, or theSaxon white brill iant , which i s c lassed among the finest inEurope for perfection of form and superiority Of lustre.The Dresden Yellow diamonds are four brill iants Of greatbeauty, each weighing about th irty carats.

The E ng lish Dresden , taking the n ame Of i t s owner,Mr. E. Dresden , was discovered in Brazil , in the same region

which yielded the “ Star of the South ,” and is supposed to

have formed a part of another d iamond. This stone, weighin g,in its natural state , on e hundred and nin eteen and on e-hal f

carats , was reduced by the lapidary to seventy- s ix and on e

half carats,and i s described as Of a drop - shape and absolute ly

faultless,a d is t inct ion se ldom known to belong to diamonds,

while it s purity and lustre are so extraordinary that when

placed bes ide the KOh - i- noor, the latter appears of a yellowish

t in t, and inferior in bri l l iancy. This magnificent j ewel , fail ingto Obtain a purchaser in any European market , found its way

t o India, and was bought by an English merchant Of Bombay.

I ts subsequent h istory, says Streeter, is , in a certain way,mixed up with the American Rebell ion. The purchaser was

a dealer in cotton , and this commodity, advancing in price in

consequence Of. the American war, brought h im a large for

tune, a part of wh ich he invested in the diamond trade .

Among o ther specimens , he purchased the Engli sh Dresden ,

for a great price, but , in consequenc e of the unexpected close

o f host il i t ies , resu lt ing in the fal l of the price of cotton , the

Bombay merchant was ruined financial ly,

and, soon after

dying o f grief, his coveted treasure passed into the hands of

th e Prince Of Baroda.

It is a remarkable coincidence, or a series of co in c idences,


238 P R E OI OUS S TON E S .

at more than fifty thousand dollars , i s thought to belong to the

Dutch regal ia .

The Baz u, owned by a Dutchman of that name , a gem Of

one hundred and four carats, was obtained from the Coulour

mines, India, and brought to Europe by Tavernier. The

interior of the stone contained e ight carats of what appeared to

be decayed vegetable matter, a pecul iarity which might be

regarded an indication of the origin of the diamond . A similar

specimen is seen in the Brit ish Museum .

The R aolconda , an Indian diamond ment ioned by Tavernier,

was nearly of th e same s ize as the Bazu.

TheHasting s.

-This gem was the occas ion of a good deal

of scan dal pending the trial of Warren Hast ings , and gave rise

to a street ballad of the t imes , in which George I I I . and the

governor-general were travestied with great freedom . The

diamond was given to the king,not by Hast ings , as repre

sented,but by the Nizam of the Deccan , in 1786 . I t has been

described as a fine specimen , but it cannot now be ident ified in

the collect ion Of the crown j ewels .

The S tewart. This diamond had no rival among the South

African diamonds until th e discovery of the Porter Rhodes , in

1880, and was surpassed in s ize only by the Great Mogul , the

Matan,and th e N izam . I t weighs, in it s undressed form , two

hundred and eighty- eigh t and three - eighths carats ; the t int i s a

pale yellow .

The P orter R hoades, named for it s owner, i s a bluish white

gem found at the Kimberly m ines , South Africa . I ts weight

in the rough has been said to exceed that of the Stewart ,

which,if th is est imate is correct , must have been near three

hundred carat s.Both Street er and Church give it s s ize, after

cutt ing,undoubtedly

,on e hundred and fi fty carats .

TheHeart formed the centre of a rose composed of twelve

HI S TOR I CA L A N D R EM A R KA BLE D IAM ON DS .0 239

large diamonds and an equal number of pearl s, for a j ewel in

the turban of Baber, the first Mogul emperor.

The S tar of D iamonds.—This bril l iant t it le was won by the

resplendent appearance Of the gem under the m icroscope ,when it exhibited a view resembling crests of mountain s

il luminated by the most vivid colors Of the rainbow. I t is an

African stone, Of on e hundred and seven and One -half carats .

The N apoleon .

—But l ittle is known of this gem it i s said

to have been worn by the emperor in the h ilt of his sword at

his marriage with Josephine, though there is no mention of it

in the inventory of the crown j ewel s made in 18 10.

A diamond brought from the East Indies by Hon . Wil l iam

Hornby,Governor of Bombay

,and cal led theHorn hy D ia

mond, i s supposed to belong to the Shah Of Persia. The gem

known as the A n twerp D iamond, was sold in 1559, to Philip

I I . Of Spain , for eighty thousand crowns . On e o f the largest

diamonds found in Brazil was called the P atroehin o .

The prol ific mines of South Africa have yie lded some

specimens Of large s ize , and may, poss ibly, afford others which

will surpass any on record , but the greates t number of cele

brated diamonds has , h itherto , been found in India. In a

paragraph of on e of the publ ic j ournals , i t was stated that a

diamond of immense size had been recently sh ipped from

South Africa to England, which would afford a gem weighing

two hundred carats cut as a brill iant , or about three hundred

cut lozenge- shape .

In addit ion to those previously named from the South

African mines are The Ten nan t, so called for the late scientist

Of th is name, a diamond Of a yellowish t int , weighing s ixty- s ix

carats , and formin g a brill iant ornament in the Engl ish rega

l ia ; the j ag ersf on tein ,an uncut gem , Of two hundred and

nine and one- fourth carats ; Du Toit I . , weigh ing two hundred


a nd forty- four carats ; Du Toit II . , represent ing on e hundred

a nd twenty- four ; the S tar of S outh Africa , a stone of forty

s ix and o ne- half carat s, besides several othe rs of superio r

w eight , including the Tifi'

any Diamond N o . I . , owned by the

fi rm of that name , a gem Of great beauty, which , cut as a

bril l iant, weighs o n e hundred and twenty-five and three - eighth s

c arats , and i s valued at one hundred thousand (dollars .

An art icle publi shed in Scien ce , May, 1884, written by Mr.

G . F . Kunz, describe s certain remarkable roun d diamonds from

B razil , the largest weighing forty- one and three - fourth s carats ,w h ich were exhibited a t the A mste rdam Exposition , and

s ubsequent ly purchased by Messrs. T iffany and Company.

O n e of them was bought by Krom M un Nares V arariddhi,

P rince of Siam , during h is late visi t to th is country.

Two o ther diamonds‘

in the pos sess ion of this firm are in

t eresting On account of their pecul iar characte ri st ics ; on e ,

weighing s ix and three th irty - seconds carat s , has eigh teen

f acets , Of which four of th e top and the table are wh ite, and four

are decidedly black, and four on the back are white , while the

remainder and the culet are black. In its native state, the

diamond was a j et -black, but when submitted to the lapidary’s

O perat ions , the interior of the crystal was found to be perfectly

white with the except ion of an occas ional i nclusion , provin g

t hat the black color was the resul t of a superficial coating. I t

lacks the fire of o rdinary diam onds , but gives brill iant metall ic

reflections , and exhibits , by t ransmitted l ight, the outl ines of a

black Greek cross . Someth ing analogous to th is , says Mr.

Kunz,i s seen at th e Jardin des Plantes , Paris , and in t he

c ollect ion at Munich . The other diamond is a brill iant , appar

ently brown , but really giving out beautiful dark rose - red

reflect ions,constitut ing a red and brown stone , or a red dia

m ond with a brown cloud, the red predominat ing. The gem


CHAPTER XII I .

THE P R ECIOU S COR U N DU M .—S A P PHI R E , A STER IA , EM ER A LD,

AM ETHYST , TO PA Z, R U BY.

IT i s an interest ing fact that the rarest and the mos t valu

able substances in nature are produced from the most com

mon elements ,— the d iamond from carbon , and the gems ofthe corundum species from aluminum , on e of the const ituent s

of common c lay. The corundum yield s a larger variety of

preciou s s tones Of the first rank than any

'

o ther mineral . They

are unaffected by chemical substances, the ir colors are th e

finest, and their hardnes s exceeds that o f al l others except

the diamond , qual it ies of great importance in gems .

A French chemist,less than a quarter of a century ago ,

prepared a metal on a commerc ial scale before unknown out

s ide the laboratory , which , when combined with oxygen , forms

alumina,and const i tutes

,in a pure crystall ine state, the pre

cious corundum known as sapphire,ruby, oriental emerald ,

oriental topaz, and oriental amethyst .

The firs t not ice taken of corundum as of any scientific

interest was in the last of the eighteenth century, by Sir

Charles Greville ; and though it was used by the nat ions Of

ant iquity for dress ing stones four thousand years ago , it has

never been properly mined until recently, having been pre

v iously Obtained in small quant it ies from surface-washings in

H indostan , Siberia, China , and some other places .

Col. C. W. Jenks discovered a remarkable deposit of this242

THE P R E 010US COR UN D UM .243

mineral in Macon County, west of the Blue Ridge,North

Carol ina, in 1858, enclosed in the veins Of a green rock,

thought to be serpent ine or lepidol ite . Some attempts were

then made,for the first t ime , at min ing th is stone, but it was

not unt il 1872 that any systemat ic work was carried on at these

mines.Since that date , a number of specimens Of the pre

cious corundum have been col lected from this local ity, which

have been regarded by some as equal to those found in water

worn pebbles,and the compeers of the best oriental variet ies

but skilful expert s pronounce them inferior in qual ity to Asiat ic

spec imens .

Two colors in the same cry stal are rare even in th e Ceylon

corundums,but those of Macon County sometimes exh ibit

several hues in the same stone, —as red , pink, green , yel low,

and others,and occas ionally the colors blend, yet appear dis

t inct when seen at d ifferent angles . Some of the crystal s

are Of a large s ize,on e having been found which weighed three

hundred and twelve pounds , now belonging to the cabinet Of

Amherst Co l lege . Nine different variet ies of the corundum

designated oriental , have been taken from the mines s ince

their Opening. The associated gem -minerals are s imilar to

those found with the Ceylon specimens,in cluding chysolite,

spinel , zircon , tourmal ine, chalcedony, and rock - crystal .

Mr. Hamlin says , in reference to these corundums , that

many of the crystal s are l impid,but in consequence of their

being crossed in all d irections with c leavage - planes,and from

the irregular dist ribution of their colors,they are unsuitable for

j ewelry, with the except ion o f very smal l gems of a few grain s

in weight , which may be cut from some transparent masses .

He admits the colors are often very fine,especial ly the blues

and yellows, but the reds lack the true “ pigeon’s -b lood ” t int .

Mr. Kunz, writ ing o n the same subj ect,says that of fifty spec i


mens found at the Jenks mine , some of them weighing two

carats , about on e-half were Of good color and possessed the char

acteristics of t rue gems , though none had a “ h igher value than,

poss ibly, one hundred dollars . The other principal local it ies

for sapphires in the United States,remarks th is writer

,are

in the ' region near Helena, Montana, where they occur in

sand collected in the sluice -boxes,during the proces s Of

mining for gold . The gems from this local ity present quite

a variety of colors , and are frequently dichroic , Often blue

in on e direct ion and red in another, or blue and l ight green .

Perfect gems are frequently met with weigh ing from four to

n ine carats . The value Of the stones from th is district reaches,at least , two thousand dol lars per annum .

He mentions an interest ing j ewel belongmg to Messrs .

Tiffany and Company, made of these dichro ic gems in the form

o f a crescent,which displays at on e end red stones, and at

the other blue, while the centre is composed of those affording

different shades of bluish red . The entire crescent becomes

red under art ificial l ight .

The gem varieties of the corundum have always been re

garded as th e most valuabl e among precious stones by oriental

nat ion s,as they are at the present t ime by western races ,

unless the d iamond be excepted. O f al l the ornamental stones ,

the sapphire was the most h ighly esteemed by the ancients .

I t was the “ gem of gems,the sacred stone par excellence ,

and the on e most frequently consecrated to their d ivinities .

The author Of the Pentateuch , in describing the manifestat ion

o f Jehovah to the people Of I srael , says : “ There was under

h is feet,as i t were , a paved work Of sapph ire stones , and , as it

were, the body of heaven in h is clearness.’ The sapphire

mentioned in th is quotat ion corresponds to th e modern gem

bearing that name , in it s color and . clearness (tran sparency) ,



i n rolled pebbles mixed with gravel taken from the beds of

s treams

I t was used for j ewelry in the Middle Ages,polished but

n o t faceted, as may be seen in the crowns Of Lombardy andHungary, and the crowns of the Gothic sovereigns and nobles

which have been recently discovered near Toledo.

Pure colorles s sapphires are exceedingly rare,and some

t imes are mistaken“ for d iamonds , though the latter surpass

them in fire and lustre. Sir David Brewster bel ieved the

white variety, on account of it s structure and refract ive power,was superior toall other transparent mineral s for the lenses of

m icroscopes . This gem has been known to disc lose a different

color by natural light from that seen by art ific ial l ight that is,

i t may appear blue in the day,and purple ln the even ing, a

phenomenon accounted for by supposing there exists an excess

Of red not vis ible by so lar l ight .

The green variety of the prec iou s corundum , termed ori

ental emerald, i s one Of the rarest gems in existence, and wheno f a l ive ly green color

,far excels the ordinary emerald in bril

lian cy and lustre. When it displays t int s of sea-green or

b luish green s imilar to those of the beryl , i t receives the epi

thet of oriental aquamarin e. Mr. Ham l in mentions some

small,beaut iful gems of th is class Obtained from the gold -fields

Of Montana.

The purple or violet corundum , cal led oriental amethyst, also

very rare,seems to combine the hues of both the sapph ire and

the ruby. I t IS dist inguished from quartz amethyst by it s

superior brill iancy,hardness

,and beauty, though the latter i s

somet imes sold for the more valuable corundum variety. Some

fine specimens are found at Dresden , and a few, with engrav

i ngs , in the Vat ican collect ion .

The yellow corundum,denominated oriental topaz , is more

THE P R E CI OUS COR UN D UM . 247

pl ent iful than either the green or purple variet ies , though it i s

seldom found without imperfect ions but when free from

defect s, of fine color and perfectly transparent , i t const itutes a

very beaut iful gem , rivall ing the yellow diamond and the yellow

zircon in brill iancy. I t s commercial val ue is “less than that of

any other variety of the corundum species .

Thé remarkable coldness Of the sapph ire, due to its great

density, gave rise to the not ion that it would ext inguish fire .

I t has been regarded o n e of the most appropriate gems for

the episcopal ring of office , on account of i t s reputed character

o f preserving the virtue Of the.

wearer, hence the Oldest eccle

siastical j ewel extant i s set with a sapphire .

This prec ious stone possesses great refract ive powers,a high

specific gravity , and ranks next to the diamond in hardness ; i t

c rystall izes in s ix- s ided pyramids and prisms . The color ranges

f rom white to very deep blue, approach ing a black t inted with

red—a pure blue i s said to be rare ; but the mos t approved

shade is styled “ royal b lue. ’ Black sapph ires are occas ion

al ly met with,but the hyacinth ine t int i s exceedingly rare

,

though one specimen,bearing a Greek engraving, i s known to

connoisseurs . The sapphire may be rendered perfectly color

less by heat, when it acquires great bri l l iancy, and closely

resembles the diamond, being apparently inferior only in iri

descen ce , a defect wh ich the lapidaries o f the Cinque - cento

period remedied , to a certain extent , by art ific ial means .

O riental sapphire s are obtained from Ceylon,Pegu

,Arabia

,

and some other part s o f Asia ; while others perhaps Of equal

intrinsic value , but less prized , are found in Siberia, Bohemia ,Greece, Saxony, the Alps , France , Brazil , and the United

States . Ceyl on is by far the most productive region for this

gem as well as for many others ; the mines have been worked

for many centuries , and have yielded innumerable specimens

248 P R E010US S TON ES .

for the markets of the world. I ts commercial value has been

variable, the price being sometimes equal to that Of the eme

rald, and at other t imes fall ing below it ; stones of faultless

t int command very high prices at the present t ime .

The sapphire is more abundant than the ruby, and in it s.

n at ive state occurs Of a large s ize. Instances of thi s kind are

s een in some Of‘

the musuems and collections of Europe ,

especially o n e spec imen, of gigant ic dimensions and great

beauty, in Vienna, besides several others in the Green Vaults

at Dresden , and in the imperial t reasury Of Russia.

Some blue stones of different spec ies have occas ionally been

sold for genuine sapph ires , but it i s n o t diffi cult for an expert

to detec t the counterfeit. The iol ite , which is one of them ,

may be known by it s superior dichro ism kyan ite , by it s soft

ness , while the blue tourmaline and the blue beryl , both rare

variet ie s, may be recogn ized by other tests , but glass imitat ions

are more decept ive to the eye , though readily yielding in hard

n ess . The blue diamond is dist inguished from it by superior

hardnes s and brill iancy.

Among the celebrated sapph ires i s one belonging to the

crown of Saxony, purchased , it i s claimed , from an Afghan , the

owner Of the O rloff diamond, and cons idered the finest known ,

and two magnificent gems,own ed by the Baroness Burdett

Coutts Bartlett , valued at n early two hundred thousand dollars .

The Lennox, or Darnley sapphire , now belonging to the

Queen of Great Britain , was set as a heart - shaped pendant for

M argaret Douglas , in 1575.This ornament , consist ing o f a

gold heart more than two inches in diameter, and embell ished

with a sapph ire,a ruby

,and an emerald , i s marked by three

divis ions—front,reverse

, and interior, and comb ines numerous

emblems and mottoes . A sapph ire cut in the form of a rose ,

and once owned by Edward the Confessor, ornaments the centre



seurs the most notable work of the kind during the Gothic

period .

Some of the best known engravings o n th is stone are,

probably, a head Of Jupiter, in Greek s tyle , set in the han dle

O f a Turkish dagger ; a head of Medusa,and another Of Cara~

c alla, in the Marlborough collect ion ; the head Of Jul iu s Caesar

and of Apollo, formerly belonging to the Herz ; a portrait of

Pope Paul I I I . , in the Pulsky, o n e Of Henry IV.of France

,and

a cameo represen ting Hebe and the eagle,cut on a stone Of th is

k ind , measuring on e inch and on e -half by on e and on e- fourth .

The collect ion Of the lat e Duke of Brunswick comprised a

sapphire engraved with the arms Of England , which formerly

belonged to M ary Queen Of Scot s ; a specimen bearing a

female figure , and conspicuous for it s dichroism,i s found

among th e imperial j ewel s Of Russ ia, and the French cabinet

c ontains an intagl io in th is gem with the portrait Of the

Emperor Pertinax.

A storia .

—This name was appl ied by the an cients to av ariety of certain species of precious stones , more especial ly

the corundum and the quartz,which

,on account Of a peculiar

structure , displays divergent rays of l ight , l ike those of a star.

This s ingular phenomenon is exh ibited only in certain trans

lucent or semi -Opaque stones,cut en cabochon , or in hexagonal

p risms , with the top rounded Off. These rays are white or

o nly slightly t inged , though the gem may be Of variou s colors,

and are most di st inctly seen in sunl ight or by the bright flame

Of a candle . The cause of th i s appearance i s the numerous

m inute crystal s arranged in different angles with in the stone ,

wh ich reflect the l ight so as to produce the stel lar rays .

The corundums yiel ding th is variety are called star- sap

phires and star- rubies ; when they assume a fibrous texture ,

t hey are cal led cat ’s - eye .

THE P R E CI OUS COR UN D U /l/I .251

The ancients placed a h igh value upon the asteria, which

they regarded as a powerful love- charm and for th is purpose,

according to tradit ion , i t was worn by Helen of Homeric fame ;

so ,then

,to th is beaut iful gem were due all the calamities

“

of

the Tro j an war. Very fine Specimens of the st ar- sapphire are

found in the collect ion Of the Ecole des Mines , and an extraor

din ary asteriated diamond at the Jardin des Plantes .

The term g irasol, l ike asteria, is appl ied to certain gem

stones pecul iar in s tructure,rather than as a variety of a

particular species . The name , signifying to turn to the sun ,

was given to it on account Of the remarkably radiant light it

emits when exposed to the solar rays , which moves as the

s tone is turned in different d irections . The opal girasol

possesses th is qual ity in a higher degree than the sapphire

specimens . The largest known girasol , called‘

the Ruspol i, Of

o n e hundred and twenty - three carats weight,now in the

Museum of Mineralogy, Paris , was found in Bengal and sold

for th irty - four thousand dollars .

R uby . I t is supposed the ruby corresponds to the an thrax

o f Theophrastus , and the lychn is o f Pl iny, o n e of the species Of

stones to whi ch he gives the general appellat ion carbun culus.

Both its Greek and Lat in names were conferred in reference

to some characterist ic qual ity, as anthrax (red coal) , in allus ion

t o the co lor, and lychn is to it s capacity of becoming very

bril l iant by lamplight. It s modern n ame ruby, rubino (red) ,

i s only an epithet for the red corundum, or red sapphire.

The ruby has the same chemical compos it ion as the sap

ph ire, pure alum ina, with a difference of coloring matter, and

ran ks next to it in hardness . It possesses double refract ion ,

exhibit s electric propert ies , and, l ike the sapphire , i t s crystals

are double six- sided prisms . The color varies from a rose

t o the deepest carmine , but the most approved tint i s that Of


pigeon ’s blood ; sometimes the same crystal exhibit s different

colors . There is only one true ruby, the oriental, of the

corundum species , but the name has been appl ied to other

gems , and we have the Brazil ian ruby and the balas - ruby,which are no t rubies at all , bein g differen t in composit ion and

form of crystal l izat ion from the real ruby. The oriental

carnel ian, Of a brownish red color,has been called a ruby,

while some of the earl ier mineralogists have classed under

th is name a dozen or more other gems of different compos i

t ion and properties , which has caused no l ittle confus ion in

the classification of prec ious stones .

A ruby of th e finest color is one of the most beautiful and

the most valuab le of al l the gems , and , compared to it s s ize,

the price is h igher than that of any other, surpassing even the

diamond,in the rat io Of five to o n e , while there i s no other

that increases in commercial value so much in proport ion to

i t s increase in weight . I t i s found in Ceylon , th e Burman

Empire,Brit ish Burmah , Siam , Tartary , Bohemia , France, and

On the Western Cont inent, but the best and most numerous

specimens are Obtained from a place s ixty or seventy miles

from Mandalay,the capital o f Burmah , whose king is styled

“ Lord of the Rubies .

” These m ines were a royal monopoly,

and laws were in force strictly proh ibit ing all fine specimens

from being carried o ut of the country,and to th is cause is

attributed the extreme rarity Of large rubies in Europe .

Strangers no t being allowed to vis it the region , very few

Europeans have ever had access to the mines ; consequently

all knowledge of them is derived through government Offi c ials ,

who represen t them as best su its th e royal wishes . "e When

a valuable ruby was discovered , the occas ion Of taking

These min es, sin ce the an n exatio n o f N orthern Burmah to Great Britain ,

will , probably, be accessible to any o ne who wishes to visit them .



i s n ot exclus ively an oriental ist , s ince it has been d iscovered

in the itacolumite Of Brazil, and in various localit ies in the

United States . I t i s a nat ive Of Austral ia,where the miners

have given it the name of garnet, from misunderstand ing it s

true character. There are o ther red gems which may eas ily

pass for the ruby when j udged by sigh t only, as the spinel and

the garnet , detected by holding the stone up to the l ight ,

when it appears dark and Opaque if it i s a garnet , but if the

gem is a true ruby it wil l be transparen t and exhibit the con

v en tion al pigeon ’s - blood t int . Nearly all the great historic

rubies now extant have been pronounced spinel s by modern

mineralogists , but is there not some doubt about the accuracy

Of this sweeping condemnat ion , except in in stances where

the nature of the gem has been subj ected to‘

t he strictes t

test s ? R ubiesg

were imitated in paste by the ancients , with

remarkable skil l , as they are at present , even to their flaws .

Paris ian j ewe l lers impart t o a pale,

-valueless specimen the

richest color by fi l l ing the ins ide sett ing with ruby enamel .

The rubies in ancient j ewelry were pol ished but not Often

faceted or engraved, o n account of the repugnance Of the

art ists to the wast e necessarily involved , and it has been

supposed there were no ant ique engrav ings o n th is gem , but

King says , though they are v efy rare , yet a few examples are

known , and mentions as il lustrat ion s the head of Hercules ,

in the Webb cabinet ; th e head of Thet is with a helmet , a

work of th e Cinque - cento period,in the Herz collect ion ;

.

and a

Bacchante crowned with ivy , in the Fould. An intagl io bear

ing the head of M . Aurel ius , belonging to th is writer, which

had been cons idered a ruby,proved to be a balas . A ruby en

graved with th e names Of several Indian kings was owned by

R unjeet Singh , and one in the Pers ian treasury, described by

Chardin,a traveller and dealer in gems, i s represented to have

THE P R E CI OUS COR UN D UM 255

been Of the s ize Of a half hen ’s egg and bearing an inscript ion.

A pink ruby used as a signet by one Of the Pers ian kings

was engraved with the motto, “ Riches are the source Of

prosperity,

” while another seal of the same kind of gem bore

the inscription,Splendor and Prosperity.

"

The best recent engravings o n this stone are a head of

Louis XII . a fine specimen, belonging to the Queen of Great

Britain ; the head Of Henry IV. of France, with the date 1598,

in the Orléans collect ion ; a Venus Victrix, an Os iris , and a

Gorgon ’s head,among the Devonsh ire j ewels . The most

approved form of cutt ing is the half-brill iant .

The number Of fine large rubies of undoubted genuineness

i s small, few even of Indian origin exceeding twenty- four carats,

though there are o n record several gems of immense s ize reputed

to be rubies . The largest o f these are owned by Asiat ic princes,

while those belonging to the crown j ewels Of European sover

eign s, those Of Russia, perhaps, excepted , are general ly smal l

or Of ordinary s ize . The large gems in the Engl ish crown

regarded as rubies have been suspected of being spinels,and

the same doubt has been raised in reference to those of some

other countries . The fine ruby cut in the form Of a dragon, of

only eight and three - s ixteenth s carats,which adorns the

Golden Fleece belonging to the French crown j ewel s,i s one

of the largest in Europe , according to King, decidedly known

to be genuine , though thi s col lection is said to comprise a

specimen Of seventy - three and three - sixteenth s carats . Prob

ably the finest collect ion of rubies,including some of vast s ize ,

belongs to the imperial t reasury of Russia. The specimen

presented to the Empress Catharine I I . , claimed to be as large

as a pigeon’

s egg, if it is genuine, i s the’

largest ruby, with

out doubt, on the cont inent . Several Of fine qual ity and

cons iderable s ize are found among the crown j ewels Of Austria .


Tavernier ment ions a ruby, owned by the Shah Of Persia ,

w hich equal led a hen ’s egg in magnitude , and was bored

t hrough the centre. The large specimen s wh ich he describes

a s ornament ing the thrones of the Indian princes, as well as

the immense ruby of General Wallenstein,Obtained from the

Bohemian mines , were balas, it is bel ieved , and not true rubies .

Several others of immense size and marvellous beauty,

w hether genuine or counterfei t has not been fully establ ished ,—are known in the literature of gems . The Devonsh ire ruby,though small , weighing only three or four carat s , i s considered

the paragon among these precious s tones for the beauty of it s

c olor ; th is exquis ite l ittle gem is engraved with the figure Of

V enus and Cupid.

The royal treasury of the Burman Empire is bel ieved to

h o ld a remarkably large and beautiful ruby of immense value,”

but as it has'

n ever been seen by any European it s character

has been suspected . A ruby Of great s ize cut as a Chinese“ idol captured at the sacking of Peking by the French , and pur

c hased by the Duke o f Brunswick, was valued at three thou

s and dollars , a very smal l sum for a genuine specimen . The

jewels of Charles the Bold , lost at . the battle of Grandson ,

c omprised three rubies called the “ Three Brothers ,”which

have been thought to be spurious , bes ides two others, named

La Hotte and La Belle de Flandres .”James I . of

E ngland mentions a j ewel known as the “ Three Brothers”

w hich may have been the same as the one los t by the Duke Of

Burgundy. The Herz col lect ion included a necklace Of rubies

and emeralds l inked together by twisted gold wire ; while

Rudolph I I . Of Austria owned a ruby of gigant ic s ize which had

been purchased for one hundred and fifty thousand ducats , and

b equeathed to him by h is s i ster, the queend owager of France .

The two most important rubie s ever brought to Europe ,



‘h is chamber a. ruby and a carbuncle half a foot in length sup

ported by pillars of gold , and of such brill iancy that they make

the nigh t as lum inous as the day.

’ But Epiphan ius, who l ived

in the fourth century, bears off the palm ,s ince h is carbuncl e

could not be concealed by any covering whatever,it s brill iancy

was so penetrat ing. Catherine’ Of Aragon,says a contempo

rary, wore a ring set with a stone, thought to be a ruby,luminous by n ight , while as late as the eighteenth century

th is gem was supposed to give a warning Of misfortune to the

owner, by a loss of brill iancy and change Of color.

The tradit ions about the luminous property of the ruby and

some other gems may be traced to a well known qual ity Of the

diamond,phosphorescence

,—the only precious stone in which

it inheres but in an age when the illus ions of the imaginat ion

had not been dispelled by scientific experiment, i t was easy

to ascribe this qual ity to other gems . This peculiar phen ome

non of the diamond , i t has been Observed, was undoubtedly

not iced when persons wearing large numbers of them passed

from the blaze of a trop ical sun , to the comparat ive darknes s

of oriental rooms , a circumstance which afforded some founda

t ion for the marve l lous tales re lated about the propert ies Of

gems .

CHAPTER XIV.

THE BE R YL .

THE name of th is mineral , from the Persian belur, Latinberyl/us,

i s appl ied to a species including several variet ies ,

the emerald ; aquamarine ; Davidson ite , a greenish-yellow beryl ,

found near Aberdeen,Scotland ; and Goshenite , so called for

Goshen,Massachusett s

,a place affording crystal s Of gigant ic

s ize. The beryl , in some of its variet ies , has been discovered

in various local ities in both hemispheres . In this country,i t

occurs in different parts Of New England, in Pennsylvania,

North Carol ina,and other States . Fine crystals have been

found in Royalston , Massachusett s, displaying a great variety

of colors , compris ing different shades of green , l ight and deep

yellow, the gold t int of the topaz, sherry-wine,and a clear blue

,

approach ing that of the sapph ire in its purity ; while those

from Fitchburg, in the same State, resemble the topaz and the

chrysoberyl in color and hardness . Crystal s of large s ize,

occasionally measuring several feet in length,are known near

Stoneham , Maine, but not usually Of a qual ity to yield gems ,though a few remarkable examples have been obtained from

this local ity, considered equal to the best foreign beryls . The

largest spec imen, Of a rich sea -green or a sea-blue,according to

the direct ion in wh ich it was viewed,would

,when cut , afford

a gem of th irty carats weight . Fine specimens have been

developed in Colorado .

Beaut ifu l blue beryl s may be Obtained from the Mourne

Mountains , Irelan d, but the largest number Of superior qual ity259


are, undoubtedly, brought from the Russ ian Empire , pr in c ipally

from Siberia and the Urals , where the ancient Romans probably

found them . Specimens from these regions d isplay a great

variety of splendid hues , including green , blue, white, yellow,

and pink, —a rare color in this gem .

Beryl crystal s not unfrequently attain a co lossal magnitude.

A specimen owned by Don Pedro, of Brazi l , shaped l ike the

head o f a calf, weighed two hundred and twenty-fiv e ounces

Troy, but th is crystal is almost m icroscopic compared to som e

Obtained from Grafton , New Hampshire,seen in the collect ions

of different museums . On e s ingle example taken from thi s

local ity yielded the aston ish ing weight of two thousan d and

nine hun dred pounds , avoirdupo i s , while a secon d crystal

gave a weight Of one thousand and seventy - s ix pounds .

The beryl occasionally exhibits two dist inct colors in the

same specimen , but generally they are monochromatic , pass ing

into white at th e extrem it ie s . The t int s are cons iderably

varied,embracing shades Of green , blue, yellow, and rose , due

chiefly to iron,except in the emerald and aquamarine, which

are supposed to be the result Of chrome . I t always occurs in

crystals,from transparent to Opaque, which assume the form of

s ix- sided prisms,and are sometimes striated . The yellow

beryl has been called chrysol ite , but it d iffers from that

precious stone in everyth ing except color. The white or color

less variety Often passes by the n ame Of Rhine diamond

which is really glass—ou account of it s fine lustre , and it is

somet imes taken for the white topaz.

The beryl and the emerald were formerly c lassed as dist inct

species,but most modern mineralogists cal l the fin e, tran spar

ent green beryl emerald , and the paler tint s aquamarine .

The ancient s Obtained the beryl at fi rst from India , then from

Arabia,and later from Siberia. The Indian lapidaries were



mineral species bes ides the beryl , i s given to precious stones

which resemble in color the water of th e s ea. The beryl

aquamarine is l ight blue or sea -green,and

,though Of les s

value in commerce th an the emerald,i t posses ses the qual ity of

retaining its bril l iancy by pandle - l ight , a merit which does not

belOng to many Of the more costly gems, consequently i t is a

favorite in the fash ionable circles Of some countries . I t i s held

in England, says Streeter, in the same high est imation that the

topaz is in Spain .

Aquamarine occurs in many different local it ies,but the

greater part used for j ewelry is obtained from India,the Ural

and the Altai Mountains , and Brazil . I t has sometimes

passed for other gems , and is so near the color of greenish

g lass that frauds have been eas ily perpetrated by throwing

fragments of green bottles into th e sea to be washed ashore

and gathered as pebble s of aquamarine .

A superb specimen discovered in Russia,in 1 827 , was

valued at the marvel lous price of one hundred and eleven

thousand six hundred dollars . The h is torical aquamarine

which once adorned the t iara of Pope Jul ius I I . , havin g passed

into the control of the Fren ch , was placed in the Museum of

Natural H i story in Paris,where it remained for more than

three centuries,until i t was returned to the Vatican by Napo

leon I . ,who presented it to Piu s VI I . I t i s described as a

beautiful sea- green gem more than two inches in length , and

between two and three in depth .

The hil t of M urat’

s sword , now in the South Kensington

Museum,was ornamented with one Of these ston es , weighing

th ree and on e -half ounces . It is said that the Emperor of

Brazil owns a large,splendid aquamarine , without a flaw and

Of remarkab le transparency. The finest gem of th is variety of

beryl ever discovered in the Un ited States , says Mr. Kunz, was

THE BE R YL . 263

Obtained from Stoneham , Maine , which , cut as a brill iant ,weighs on e hundred th irty- three and three - fourth s carats .

With the exception of a few hair- l ike striat ion s in the interior

Of the stone , i t i s of a perfect blu ish green color.

This variety of the beryl has been employed both in ancient

and modern t imes for engraving. A famous intagl io cut from

this gem , presented to the Abbey Of Saint Denis by Charle

magne , and employed to adorn a gold rel iquary, now depos ited

in the National Library of Paris , i s engraved with the portrait

o f Jul ia, th e daughter of the Emperor Titus .

Emerald—Probably no o thdr precious stone has been thesubj ect of so much exaggeration

,especial ly among early writers ,

as the emerald, and none has been more h ighly prized , both in

an cient and modern times,for it s beauty and excellence as a

gem - stone . I ts pure t int is unsurpassed by that of any other

Obj ect in nature , and when transparent and entirely free from

blemishes , it constitutes on e of the most desirable ornamental

s tones known to the lapidary.

This gem has generally been selected to represent marine

subj ects , both in art and l iterature , a use which has , perhaps ,

s ome connect ion with its ancient names “ smaragdos, Greek,

Sanskrit, - all having“smaragdus,

” Latin , and “ marahata ,

some reference to the sea.

The compos it ion is nearly ident ical with that of the beryl ,s il ica, alumina, and glucina ,—but d ifferent from the corundumvariety which is pure alumina ; it s lustre has been compared to

the sheen o f ol ive - oil . If held so as to reflect the l ight , i t

appears to be s ilvered on the back , and it s green color will

disappear when the plane is brought to a part icular angle , a

pecul iarity not observable in any other gem . When struck by a

hammer, the crystal s will break across th e prism , yielding

sl ices wi th smooth and brill iant faces ; many Of the oriental


emeralds consist of thes e layers moun ted without any artific ial

cutt ing or polish ing. When seen at righ t angles to the Opt ic

axes , the emerald presents one image of greenish yellow and

another of greenish blue t int s .

The color of th is gem , which const itutes one of it s principal

charms , i s a l ively grass -green without admixtu re of any other

hues , and has general ly been supposed to be due to the oxide

Of chrome, though this theory i s not un iversal ly adopted ;some scient is ts referring it to copper, some to iron , and

others to an entirely different cause . I t is extremely difficul t,

says Mr. R udler, to determine the precise n ature Of the color

ing matter present in gems , s in ce i t is so intense that the

smal lest poss ible quantity IS sufl‘icien t to give them a decided

t int .

This quest ion gave rise to some very interest ing experi

ments made by M . Lewy, in 1848, which led him to conclude

the color was derived from some organic matter s im ilar to

the coloring substance of the green leaves Of plants , cal led

ch lorophyl . He assumed that the emerald loses it s hue byheat , while chromic Oxide is a stable pigment , and ought not to

be affected by i t. This experimenter burned it in oxygen,

and found that carbonic ac id was produced, as when a diamond

is subj ected to the same operation ; therefore he bel ieved it

must contain carbon . The conclus ion re ached after repeated

experiments was that the coloring substance cons ist s of a

compound of carbon and hydrogen , resu lt ing from organic

matter. Emeralds from Muzo , South America, have been

found in a foss il iferous l imestone of a b itum inous n ature ;

therefore thei r color , it i s reasoned , must have been caused bythe decomposit ion o f an imal matter, s im ilar to that found in

vegetables . M . Lewy Obtained by h is analyses a certa in per

cent Of water, which led him to infer that these gems were



which the nat ive priest s were the fortunate guardians.Many

o f these costly gifts fel l into the hands of the conquerors,but

the great emerald goddess was spirited away and her h iding

p lace could never be discovered .

A slight variation from the above tradit ion makes the

emerald only the dwell ing- place of the goddes s Esmeralda,and

n ot the veritable divin ity herself. The Peruvians,l ike the

nat ions of the Eastern hemisphere,cherished the bel ief that

mines of the prec ious metal s and precious stones were guarded

by demons and griffons .

Emeralds of great value,and in large quantit ies , were car

ried off by the Spanish brigands , during their invas ion of

Mexico , many Of which found their way into the royal' treasury

o f Spain , while others were retained by the conquerors . Five,

o f remarkable beauty and Of curious design , given by Cortez

t o his bride , were the cause of h is los s of the royal favor, as

stated by his biographer ; consequently, th e origin of the

m isfortunes that befell him in h is last years . These emeralds

are described as marvel s of the lapidary ’s skill, on e having

been cut in the form of a rose , another in that of a horn , a

t h ird represent ing a fi sh with golden eyes , the fourth a bel l

w ith a tongue of pearl , and the fifth a cup rest ing on a gold

foot with small gold chains attached . Two Of these gems

bore inscript ion s , and the whole set was valued at several

m i ll ion dollars . Cortez was Offered a large sum for them , but

h e had the imprudence to refuse to dispose of h is treasures .

even to Charles V . , who wanted them for the empress . This

disregard Of the imperial will was followed by a withdrawal Of

c ourt favors,which , in those days , was a serious calamity.

These coveted j ewel s were subsequently los t at sea during the

shipwreck of'

the owner, on the Barbary coast , in 1529 ; st ill ,”

h e had other valuable emeralds left , which proved the wealth

THE BE R YL . 267

and luxury of the Montezumas , including two vases cut from

this gem,priced at three hundred thousand ducats . Cortez

,

while in Mexico , sent to the emperor, as a present , an emerald

pyramid with “ a base of the s ize of a man ’s palm ,

” besides

o ther gifts , which were captured by the French , and went

to enrich the col lect ion Of h is r ival, Francis I .

Charles received from Montezuma and the Span ish com

missioners magnificent gift s of emeralds , pearl s , and red gems

supposed to be rubies , with two necklaces comprising from

three to four hundred emeralds , a bonus suffi cient to satisfy

a les s ambit ious prince than the German emperor.

After the conquest of the New World , emeralds became very

plent iful ln Europe, where before they were comparatively

scarce . As a proof that the American variety had been

adopted for the favorite ornament in the h ighest social c ircles,

Hamlin refers to a parure made Of remarkably beautifu l spec i

mens of th is gem,which was bequeath ed to her daughter by

the Queen Of Navarre in 1572. The Dresden Museum con

t ain s a large uncut emerald,the gift of Rudolph I I . , and the

c ollect ion at Munich several of large s ize , from Peru . An

emerald taken from the tomb of Charlemagne , which had been

used by th is conqueror as a tal isman ,came, by some un ex

plained fortune,into the possess ion of Aix- la- Chapelle , and was

presented by the c it izen s t o Napoleon I . , who gave it to Queen

Hortense, after having worn it at Austerl itz and Wagram .

The treasury Of the Czar of Russia contains many fine eme

ralds, including some of large s ize and others Of extraordinary

beauty ; t o the latter class belongs a gem of th irty carats , per

fectly transparent , immaculate in color and considered on e of

the most superb in Europe . The crown of Vladimir, the state

sceptre, th e imperial orb, and the sceptre Of Poland , preserved

in the Kreml in , are more or less ornamented with emeralds ,


some of whic h were, undoubtedly, taken from the Siberian

mines and may poss ibly be green tourmal ine or the splendid

green garnet found in this region .

' Emeralds Of surpassing beauty are said to be found in the

rich col lect ion at Constantinople ; on e faultless gem ,weigh ing

three hundred carats , i s set in the handle Of a poniard another,whose genuineness has been questioned

,weighs on e hundred

and twenty -five ounces , Troy.

The uncut Devonsh ire emerald , taken from the mines of

Muzo , measures two inches in length , and weighs eight ounces

eighteen pennyweights , but unfortunately it s intrinsi c value is

greatly marred by flaws . A cluster o f th ese gems , each more

than an inch in diameter, perfect in color and brill iancy, and

imbedded in wh ite l imestone , const ituted on e Of the vot ive

Offerings to th e celebrated shrine of Loretto , presented by a

Spanish ambassador to Rome. Some o f the Indian princes are

the owners of valuable emeralds which they display upon their

persons with other gems o n certain occas ions , as was related

in the publ i c j ournal s when the Prince of Wales made the

tour of their country. An emerald of a very large size was

presented to the Queen of Great Britain by the Sultan of

Oude , while a specimen of th is kind , owned by Duleep Singh ,

i s larger than the Devonshire . An emerald Of the s ize o f a

walnut,engraved with the names of the kings who had owned

it,i s comprised in the Pers ian royal t reasury.

The collect ion of precious stones at Madrid affords many

emeralds Of dist inguished s ize , comparat ively exempt from

flaws,an occurrence so unusual that the express ion “ an eme

rald without a flaw ” has passed into a proverb , to denote

unattainable perfect ion . The French , during their invas ion of

the Spanish peninsula,carried Off, with other precious stones ,

many of these fine emeralds , notab ly the one which was the



in the Urals was in 1830 ; a second was discovered the follow

ing year weighing ten and one- fourth carats ; s ince then they

have been mined to a cons iderable extent . I t is very probable

that the anc ient Scyth ians Obtained their supply from these

mountains .

Peru , after the Spanish conquest , suppl ied these gems for

the European markets unt il th e mines were abandoned for

the more recent fields of New Grenada. This s tate leased

the gem -producing territories for a certain sum per annum,

until th ere were no bidders for the privilege, n ot from any

exhaust ion of supply, but in consequence of the d ivers ion of

labor and capital t o the gold regions ; consequently, work at

these emerald-mines was suspended fora long period . The

French resumed the min ing operat ion s about the middle of

the present century, and s ince then the best emeralds have

been exported to Paris from New Grenada,where

,during th e

Empire , they became extremely fashionable, green being th e

imperial color.

Emeralds were disc overed in North Carol ina in 1880,

simultaneously with h idden ite, a variety Of spodumene , by Mr.

W. E . Hidden , assoc iated with several other minerals , many Of

them consti tut ing gem - stones . The emeralds were found,after pers istent mining

,at the depth of more than fifty feet ,

in veins or pocket s of a rock resembl ing gn e iss sometimes

these deposits were very close together, and contained only

emeralds and hiddenite , and sometimes they comprised a

variety of other m ineral s . The largest emerald crystal

measured eight and one- half inches in length , and weighed

nearly nine ounces . The greatest number found in o n e

pocket was seventy- two, some of the specimens having a

length from two to five inches , but the larger part were very

smal l though Of the finest t int,resembl ing the pure deep

THE BER YL . 27 1

colored gems of New Grenada. As an ornamental stone, the

North Carol ina emeralds have little value , says Mr. Hidden ,

but for cabinet specimens their prices range from twenty -five

dol lars to one thousand each .

The qual ity and tone Of color vary in these gems, according

to the different local it ies from which they are obtained . Those

from New Grenada are considered the finest ; the Siberian rank

next,if they do not equal the South American specimens ; the

Indian and African stones are pale in color and full Of flaws ,

while those found in Europe hold the lowest rank .

The phrase “ Emerald Isle,”

.

appl ied to Ireland, i s said to

have come into vogue , not on account of it s remarkable ver

dure,as is generally supposed , but from a c ircumstance

connected with the gem itself . Pope Adrian sent to Henry

I I . , of England , a ring set with an emerald , as the instrument

of his invest iture with the dominion Of that is land,which may

aptly be compared to th i s gem set in the sea. This ring,which has disappeared from the royal arch ives

,if i t could

be found , would be an Obj ect of curios ity and interest as

the record Of an h istorical event Of important pol it ical

results .

Comparat ively few emeralds are engraved , partly on account

of their brittleness and partly from their intrin s ic value there

fore , antique intagl i in th is gem are exceedingly rare, and very

few of these are earl ier than the t ime o f the Emperor Hadrian.

The best examples known to antiquaries are an emerald en

graved with the head of th i s emperor, an other with the portrait

Of Sabina, his consort , and a third with the heads of both on

the same stone . His patronage of the Egyptian system of

mythology is shown by a remarkable intagl io with the head of

the Solar Lion , a work of th is period ; in fact , a large portion

Of antique engraved emeralds were executed during the reign

z 72 P R E CI OUS S TON E S .

o f th is emperor, though the Etruscans , at a very early date ,e ngraved th is gem with scarabei.

Three engraved emeralds Of antique workmanship belong to

t he Fould col lection in Paris . The Devon sh ire parure has o n e ,w ith a Gorgon ’s head in h igh rel ief ; and an amulet formerly

c omprised among the Praun gems bears the head of Jupiter,with a serpent and crocodile , surrounded by the emblems of th e

p lanets . The last-named collection includes a Gnost ic legend ,c ontain ing several l ines , cut on emerald . Engraved gems of

this kind of precious stone were supposed to be endowed

w i th remarkab le mysti c powers , and on that account were

e mployed for amulets . Those with the representat ion of the

e agle o r the beetle were thought to be‘

powerful agents in

c onci l iat ing royal favor. A j ewel engraved with “ the name of

t he Emperor Jehangir, and used as a s ignet, consist ed of two

e merald drops and two collet s of rose diamonds with ruby

borde rs,mounted in oriental fashion . I t was presented to the

East India Company by Shah S oojah , and purchased by Lord

A ucklan d when Governor-General of India, and is owned at

present,i t i s said

,by theHon . Miss Eden . Another remark

able engraving, represent ing the heads Of the Apostles Peter

a nd Paul , and Pope Benedict, was executed on a large table

emerald , by on e of the Costanzi .

There is unequivocal evidence that the ancients were wel l

a cquainted with the emerald, notwithstanding the attempts

which have been made to prove they were not known to the

E astern world before the discovery of the Western continen t:

N o emerald-mines,i t has been said, are known in India, yet it

was used by the nat ives for ornament ; and , reasoning from

these premises,Tavernier conc luded they must have been

introduced from America. There is, however, no doubt that

t he emerald was known both in As ia and Europe long before



Theophrastus refers to a variety Of this precious s ton e used

for ornamenting gold vessels , the color harmonizing well with

that metal , a quality belonging to our emerald . The Persian s

used it to embell ish their goblets, a pract i ce adopted by the

Romans .

The emerald mentioned by Ezekiel as an article ofmerchandise in the Tyrian fairs may have been that stone

,or

turquoise , which is st ill min ed at the foot o f Mt . Sinai , or

some other green gem . The j asper of the New Jerusalem,a

most preciou s stone,”combining the green of the jasper with

the transparency of the crystal,may have been the emerald .

In Pliny’

s account of precious stones,i t i s stated that the

smaragdus was found in very large masses . Theophrastu s

says it is scarce and Of small s ize, unless

‘

w—e credit the

commentaries o f the Egyptian rulers,which relate that a speci

men sent to the King of Babylon was four cubits in length

and three in breadth , and that the Obel isk in the Temple of

Jup iter, forty cubits h igh , was made of four emeralds . I t i s

believed , at the present t ime , that these and other gigant ic

specimens were glass , as Alexandria, in Egypt , was n oted for

it s glass manufactures . I t is poss ible that some of these

enormous emeralds were beryl , s ince crys tals of the size of

those from Grafton , N ew Hampsh ire , could have answered the

purpose . Theophrastus speaks of a “ bastard emerald ” foun d

in the copper-mines Of Cyprus,which very l ikely was malach ite

or chrysocolla, or, as H il l suggests , rock- crystal t inged with

green . He says the true emerald seems to be a product ion Of

j asper,giving as proof that a certain crystal known to him was

half emerald and half j asper. The prase , or plasma , has been

called the “ mother of emeralds and it is poss ible the j asper,

in some of it s variet ies , may have const ituted the matrix of

th is gem .

THE BE R YL . 275

The emerald was used in Pl iny’s t ime, as it has been s ince,

to res t the eyes after overstraining them on difficul t work, and

it was also employed as lenses for near - s ighted persons, and fgr

mirrors.The Emperor Nero, who was very near- s ighted?

endeavored to remedy th is defect , when witnessing the gladia

torial combats at Rome, by us ing a lens cut from this precious

stone . Historians ment ion th is fact in their descript ions Of

th is notoriou s despot,corroborated by his portraits , in wh ich

the eyes are remarkab ly full, indicating myopy. If it was used

for that Obj ect , i t was quite probable it was hol lowed out to

serve as a concave lens and not as a mirror to reflect distant

views . I t is said , however, that he used th is gem to reflect the

images of any lurking assass in, a danger to which he was

imminent .

To prove that the emerald has served the purposes of a

reflect ing body a story is told of the Emperor Maximilian I I . ,who , on his vis it to Rat isbon , when presented with a gold cup

full of ducats, detected on e of his court iers helping h imself to

the contents , by the reflect ion Of the scene in the emerald o f

the ring upon his finger.

The Hindoo s have always valued the emerald very highly

for ear- pendant s and bracelets , which they dril l and string as

beads . These perforated gems are cut in two when used by

European lapidaries . Tavernier test ifies that all.

East Indian s

who could afford it wore in their cars a ruby and an emerald

strung between pearl s .

False emeralds were manufactured in the t ime of Pl iny

from rock- crystal and other inferior stones , by plunging the

heated mineral into verdigris dis solved in turpent ine . They

were also imitated very successful ly in glass , an art pract ised

at the present day. The emerald column in the Temple of

M elkart, at Tyre, which exc ited the wonder of Herodotus , was


probably a shaft Of glass made to enclose a lamp , thus lead

ing the credulous to bel ieve it shone by its own inherent

brill iancy.

The substances mo st c losely resembl ing the emerald,are

green j asper, green spinel (laal) , and green glass . Some

remarkable instances Of fraud have been pract ised by pass ing

off articles made Of glass for emerald,as the tradit ional Sacro

Cat ino, “ Sacred Cup,”belonging to the Cathedral Of Genoa

,

supposed to be emerald for centuries,i s now bel ieved to be

g lass . This cup , fourteen inches wide and five deep,i s c laimed

to be the identical one used by our Saviour at the inst itut ion of

the Lord’s Supper, and once belon ged to the banquet ing plate

Of King Herod. I t was given to the Republ ic Of Genoa in 1 101 ,as an equivalent for money due from the Crusaders who had

captured it during their wars in the East . I t was pawned for

a large sum , nearly two hundred thousand dol lars, in the begin

n ing Of the fo'

urteenth century, but was redeemed under the

bel ief that it was genuine emerald. When the French cap

tured Genoa, they tested th is famous rel ic and found it to be

glass . A rival to th e Genoese vessel , though Of much smaller

d imens ions,was discovered at a monastery n ear Lyons in 1565.

A gigantic emerald, weigh ing twenty-n ine pounds , given by

Charlemagne to the Abbey of R ichen au, could not s tand the

t est Of modern experimenters, who very unceremoniously pro

n ounced it green glass . The most disappointing results fol

lowed a s imilar trial of the c elebrated “ Table Of Solomon ,

di scovered by the Arabs in the Gothic treasury of Toledo .

‘

I t

i s des cribed as a s ingle piece of sol id emerald encirc led by

three rows of pearls and supported by three hundred and

s ixty -five feet made of gems and mass ive gold. Th is table was

plundered ‘ from the Temple of Jerusalem by Vespas ian , and

depos ited in the Temple Of Concord at Rome, but when the



This precious stone is one Of the very few containing fluorine ,

Dieulafait says the only one , but some other writers give th is

element as one of the const ituents of t ourmal ine .

The crystal s assume the geometrical form of prisms with

o nly on e end term inating regularly,and exh ibit dist inct

pleochroism , double refract ion , and strong electri c powers .

The topaz holds the rank of eight in the scale Of hardness , and

exhibits greatly diversified colors , including different shades

o f yellow,gray , blue, rose, pink, red, green , citron , and a

white, or colorless variety ; the last Often passes for diamond

o n account Of it s great bril l iancy,as in the enormous Braganza

o r Portuguese gem generally supposed to be a topaz . The“ Minas Novas

,a white Brazil ian topaz, so called from the

province where it i s found,i s somet imes so ld for diamond .

This species Of prec ious stone i s found in'

India, Siberia,

Austral ia,Saxony

,Austria, Brazil , Mexico, and in Maine ,

Connect icut , North Carol ina, New Mexico , Colorado , and

Arizon a, in the United States . The Colorado specimens—oneh aving been discovered weigh ing more than th irty carats ,

are of a beaut iful l ight blue color ; the yield at Pike’

s Peak, as

stated in Lesl ie’

s Magazine, exceeded at the t ime of writ ing

on e hundred dollars per annum‘

. Though foun d in large crys

tals,only a small port ion Of these specimens are su itable for

j ewelry.Beautifu l variet ies occur in S iberia, saffron -yel low in

India,wine- colored and pale violet in Saxony, a sea -green

sometimes called aquamarine,in Bohemia, and blue in Scot

land,while Brazil furnishes Specimens in gold , ruby, rose ,

sapph ire-blue,and l ight blue colors . The fine , del icate , sherry

colored stones from Siberia soon fade in the l ight , and on th is

account such specimens in the Brit ish Museum are kept covered .

The gem known as Brazil ian sapph ire i s blue topaz, and

Brazil ian ruby i s e ither red tourmal ine or yellow topaz , changed

THE BE R YE . 79

t o pink by artific ial heat ; Scotch or“ false topaz,

” i s s imply

yellow quartz. Limpid pebbles consist ing of genuine topaz

are called g outtes a’

ean . Mawe says the river-beds of Brazil

y ield white,blue, and sea-green variet ies , and Burton found

both the topaz and the ruby in the itacolumite Of th is country

the former has been known to occur in gran ite, and possibly it

may exi s t in other kinds of rocks .

Topaz is seldom found in large crystals without defects,

but i t sometimes const itutes mass ive rocks which, i n Saxony,

are called “ topaz fels .” Specimens of immense size in a

c rystall ine form have been taken from the Urals one of this

descript ion in the collect ion of St . Petersburg, of a wine color

and perfect ly transparent , has been differently est imated to

weigh twenty- two and on e - half, and thirty - on e pounds another,

found in Scotland,has a weight of n ineteen ounces . A topaz

described by Tavernier, belonging to the Emperor A urungz eeb,which was purchased at Goa for nearly s ixty thousand dollars

,

weighed on e hundred fifty- seven and three- fourths carats .

Very fine specimens of th is gem were exh ibited at the London

Expos it ion of 1851 , from New South Wales and other regions ;the brill iant mineral sent from Russ ia as phenakite

,when

subj ected to the test Of specific gravity,proved to be topaz.

I t has been said that th is prec iou s stone has never been

e ngraved , but this i s an error, on good authority, s ince several

O f this class are known to exist . An antique engraving

bearing a star or a cluster of stars has been counted with the

t reasures o f St . Petersburg ; another, engraved with the por

t raits of Philip I I . and Don Carlos,i s in the Royal Library of

Paris ; and a third , inscribed with a motto in Arabic , i s thought

t o be owned in the same city. As an ornamental stone , th e

t opaz is l ess popular than formerly ; therefore, it s commercial

v alue is small compared with some other gems .

CHAPTER XV

OPAL . PEA R L .

THE name opal, it is thought, was primari ly derived from the

San skrit upala , meaning a ston e or rock, more directly from

the Greek and Latin hopallios, opalas.

Of all precious stones, says Pl iny, the Opal is the mo st

d ifficul t to describe, since i t seems to combine in on e gem

the beauties of many other species ,—th e fi re Of the carbuncle,the purple of the amethys t, the green of the emerald , and

the ye llow of the topaz.

Many speculat ions have been advanced by chemists in

regard to the causes of the remarkable pecul iarit ies , of this

prec ious substance, some maintaining the Opinion that its beau

t ifu l play Of colors depends principally upon the quantity of

water it contains , which varies greatly in d ifferent variet ies ,

while o thers bel ieve that water is n ot absolutely essential to

produce th is striking effect .

The brill iancy of the t int s i s heightened by heat , un less too

intense or too prolonged , when the colors vanish ent irely.

This resul t seems to ind icate that the presence or quant ity of

water has some connection with the development of the won

derful iridescence Of the opal .

I t may be of some interest to know that so dist inguished a

philosopher as S ir Isaac Newton bel ieved the play of colors in

this gem were the resul t of the refract ion and reflection of

l ight caused by the exceed ingly smal l and n umerous fi ssures

cross ing it in every direction .



knew noth ing of the Western cont inent , says : “ India i s the

sole parent of the Opal , thus complet ing her glory as being the

g reat producer Of the most costly gems , but he admits that

e ither a variety of th i s spec ies , or one closely al l ied to it ,

denominated “ lovely youth ,” was brought from Egypt, Arabia,

a nd some o ther regions of the East .

The principal variet ies are the prec ious or nob le opal , com

m on Opal , fire - opal , j asper- Opal, wood - opal , girasol , cachelong,

hyal ite, hydrophane, asteria, and a kind exhib it ing dendritic

markings , sometimes called moss- Opal . When the colors are

broken into small masses , it passes under the name of harlequin

O pal and when characterized by an orange hue, i t i s go lden opal .

The noble or precious Opal,giving out different colored rays

in bewildering succession , const itutes one of the most beaut iful

o rnamental stones in existence, and has always been regarded

as o n e of the most des irable and attractive for personal use .

When emp loyed in j ewelry, i t is cut with convex surfaces , en

c abochon ,on both sides . Camc i are sometimes carved on th is

g em ,in a manner to present the figure on a ground cons ist ing

o f the dark brown matrix.

The fire- Opal,found in Mexico , Hungary, and the Faroe

I slands , i s characterized by i t s remarkableflame - l ike reflections

o f hyacinth ine red , pass ing to honey-yellow, and sometimes

p resent ing all the prismatic colors . The two largest fire

O pal s known in England , according to Streeter, were found in

t he Hungarian mines in 1866, and exhib ited at the Pari s

Expos it ion Of 1867 . They are drop or pear- shaped, on e Of the

gems weigh ing on e hundred and eighty- s ix carats , and the

o ther on e hundred and s ixty .

The variety known as hydrophan e was so named from its

p ecul iar property o f - becoming transparent when plunged into

w ater. In its ordinary state it i s wh ite or reddish yellow,

OP A L . P EA R L .283

sl ightly trans lucent or completely opaque ; but when immersed

in water,i t emits bubbles of air and changes its appearance

sometimes exh ibit ing the prismatic colors of the precious Opal ,

lo s ing them ,however, on being removed from the water. The

hydrophane is developed in Saxony, Hungary, France , and

Italy.

The Opal which figures in “ Anne Of Geierstein”i s repre

sented as suffering a los s Of beauty by contact with water ;

therefore,after the publication of the novel , th is beautiful ston e

acquired the reputat ion Of being an unlucky gem , and was for

a t ime discarded by fash ionable c ircles , but it has s ince been

restored to it s legit imate rank, though there are persons who

st i ll cherish the Opinion that it i s an ornament of ill omen .

The cachelong , a name signifying “ beautiful stone,” found

in the River Cach , in Bukhara is nearly Opaque, with whitish ,

yellowish,or reddish colors . The g irasol, meaning

“ to t urn

to the sun ,” i s a translucent variety, wearing a bluish white

c olor, which gives out red reflect ions in a bright l ight ; the

fire - Opal , when Of a hyacinth - red , i s sometimes called girasol or

sun - opal .

Trees and other vegetable products are not unfrequently

silicified or petrified by opal , const itut ing a variety called wood

opal; but they do not display the prismat ic hues Of the true

Opal . Another form of th is chameleon - l ike gem is afforded by

different shades of color arranged s imilar to those of the agate ,

and i s called opal-aga te. The jasper- opal, unl ike most other

v ariet ies , comprises some foreign substances which give it the

color of yellow j asper, though it retain s the lustre of the Opal .Hyalite i s a colorless , transparent kind, somet imes called“ Muller’s glass ” ; the star- opal gives out sudden flashes of

c olor l ike l ightn ing from the clouds common opal i s a tran slu

c ent , non- prismat ic variety, Of a milky-white t int incl ining to


green , yellow, or blue, and is used in Germany for cheapjewelry.

The Opal was prized by the ancients above most other

precious stones . The Romans Obtained their supp ly from the

East, perhaps from Ceylon , where they are n ow found, but

the largest did not exceed the s ize of half a hazel - nut,except

the famous Opal of Nonius , who preferred exile rather thansurrender it to Mark Antony. This h istorical gem has beenvariously priced from one hundred thousand to nearly on e

m ill ion dollars , quite a difference to reconcil e,but it proves

the high esteem in which the Opal was held at that t ime.

This gem 13 very difficu lt to engrave, and sometimes quite

impos s ible,yet there are a few antique works of th e kind,

inc luding one belonging to the O rleans col lection , and another

in Paris engraved with the portrai t of Louis XII I . Some

rude intagl i,apparently antique, are occasiona lly foun d in this

stone,usually Of the Opaque variet ies . There i s a fine speci

men in the Praun collect ion , engraved with the heads Of

Jupiter,Apol lo

,and Diana.

On account Of it s softness , frangib il ity, and l iab il ity to inj uryfrom o ily substance s

,it i s not su itable for ring- stones, but may

be used,with proper care , for o ther o rnaments . U n fortu

n ately, this des irable gem is affected by atmospheric influences ,

as severe cold,which

,i t i s thought , causes exterior flaws

tending to ext inguish al l it s fire,

” and reduce it to a common

pebble . The only essent ial remedy for th is defect is to remove

the outer layer,but th i s operat ion i s open to Obj ections s ince

i t d imin ishes the th ickness of th e stone, and allows a freer

passage for the l ight through it , and , as a result, it s beautiful

i ridescence i s impaired or lost .

The Opal was c ounterfeited more successfully by the

ancients than any other gem , so that i t was n early imposs ible,


286 P R E010US S TON E S .

masses , or of globular shape , and pale t int s , from brown to

pearl gray, though not unfrequently they exh ib it rich prismatic

colors . They are softer than the Hungarian variety,but com

pare favorably with it for brill iancy and durabil ity . I t has been

reported that on e Of the riches t opal -mines in the world has,

with in a few years , been Opened in the province of Queretaro,

Mexico , yielding numerous fine specimens with a great

d ivers ity of colors,including blue , pink, red , green , yellow,

cream color, and black . The fire - opal,th e most resplendent

of all the di fferent kinds o f th is wonderful gem ,i s found in the

greatest perfect ion in porphyry, at Z imapan . I t is translucent

and emits bril l iant fiery- red , yellow, and green reflect ions ; but

i t i s easily impaired by exposure to moisture and changes in

t emperature .

Remarkable specimens are known to occur in different col

lect ions . There i s on e in the imperial cabinet of Vienna,

found at Czernowitz,n ear the Pruth , in 1770, which weighs

seventeen ounces,and

,not withstanding its cracks and fi ssures ,

the sum o f fifty thousand dollars has been offered for it , but

the government refused to sell it , even at that price . The

finest Hungarian Opals are seen among the crown j ewels of

Austria,though France numbers among her state collect ions

two very valuable gems of th is kind . Probably the most

remarkable Opal on record was the on e owned by the Empres s

Joseph ine,which was cal led the Burn ing Of Troy,

”on account

of the innumerable red flames it emitted , as if on fire . The

under s ide was perfectly opaque,but the upper portion , being

transparent,served

.

the purpos e of a window through which

were seen the glow ing rays of fiery l ight , very appropriately

compared to the conflagration Of a great c ity.

Magnificen t examples of the Opal have been frequent ly

exh ibited among the curiosit ies Of modern expos it ions. A

OP A L—P E A R L . 287

Honduras specimen , weighing s ix ,

hundred and two carats,

valued at twenty-five thousand dollars, together with verybeautiful green and purple variet ies from Queensland

, and

fire - Opals from M exico, attracted the not ice of vis i tors to the

Centennial at Philadelph ia, and the collect ion at the Expos it ion

i n New Orleans embraced a great variety, including j asper

opal, cachelong , hyal ite , black Opal from Bohemia, semi- Opal o f

a snuff-brown color,precious opal , wax- Opal Of dark variegated

t ints,from Hungary

,a variety from Tripol i , resembl ing a red

dish sandstone in appearance,black wood- opal from Cal iforn ia,

brown wood- opal from New Zedland, a kind named geyserite ,

from Yellowstone Park, yellowish , l ight brown , and wh ite from

Colorado,and Opals from the Island Of Elba. I t is related by

Mr. Hamlin that on e Of the most beautiful j ewels seen in this

country is a n ecklace made Of opal s Obtained from Honduras ,

cut and mounted in gold,—with diamonds . They were

secured by Dr. J . Le Conte who has given some important

fact s about the mines Of th is region , i n hi s report of the Inter

Ocean Railroad Survey.

The P earl This precious substance has been considered

from time immemorial on e of the most beautiful and valuable

productions of earth , and has been sought , at almost infin ite

labor and expense, as one of the lovel iest gems that ever

graced a coronet .

Pearls , in the strictes t sense,cannot be cal led precious

stones , s ince they have their origin in the animal kingdom ;

they are thought to be concret ions Of carbonate of l ime and

o rganic matter found in certain animal species,depos ited in

th in fi lms which overl ie on e another, thus caus ing the beautiful

iridescence characterist ic of these organ ic product ion s . Theyare found both in marine and fresh -water mollusks , usual lyth e pearl - oyster and the Unio

,a fresh -water mussel , though


n early all bivalves with nacreous shells occas ionally y ield pearls .

T hose from Ceylon, the Pers ian Gulf, Madagascar, Austral ia,Panama, and Cal iforn ia, are derived from the pearl - oyster ;w h ile those of Scotland, England, and Wales are Obtained

f rom the Unio , and are generally inferior to the oyster pearlHi n the iridescent sheen cal led “ orient , though specimens of

great beauty are occas ionally discovered in the mussel . A

p earl Of great purity from the Conway River, in Wales, form s a

c onspicuous gem in the royal crown of England.

Nature has furn ished th is exquis ite j ewel with a charming

a nd convenient casket l ined with nacre, or mother-Of-pearl ,

smooth , lus trous , and opalescent , where the l ittle creatures

dwell that afford th e pearl , which does no t apparently const i‘

tute a part of the an imal but seems to be something foreign to

it. How did it get into the shell , and why i s i t found in some

.shell s of th e same species and not in others ? Different opin

ion s are afloat about the origin of pearls , some theori sts attrib

uting them to accident , o thers to purely natural agencies .

The ancients had a pretty correct idea of their origin ;

T heophrastus thought they were the product Of a kind of

o yster, the Pinna marina, found in the Indian and the Pers ian

seas but as to the manner Of their formation, they differed in

O pinion, as their succes sors have done . Some of the writers ,.as Pl iny and D ioscorides , bel ieved they were caused by rain

and dew fall ing into the she lls of certain mollusks , an Opinion

alluded to by Moore in the following l ines

A nd precious the tear as that rain from the sky

Which turn s in to pearls as it fal ls in the sea.

Others have cons idered pearl s the Offspring of tears , there

f ore of suffering —an idea which seems to foreshadow the

m odern bel ief that they are the resu lt of inj ury. There have


290 PR ECI OUS S TON ES .

the only, nor the necessary method of their production , s ince

some pearl s are empty while others are sol id and of the same

texture, color, and formation throughout . Another view i s

that the pearl i s formed from the superabundance of calcareou s

matter designed for building up the shell,as they are s imilar

in compos it ion and appearance.

The exact nature of the secret ion has not been sati sfactorily

ascertained , but it i s supposed to be carbonate o f l ime and

an imal t i s sue,cons ist ing of concentric layers secreted by the

mant le of the mollusk in the same way the shel l i s secreted,

except in the latter the layers are parallel . Linnaeus , who

bel ieved the pearl t o be the resul t of inj ury to the oyster,

conceived the idea of introducing some foreign matter into th e

shell,and thus obtain th e genuine art icle by a forcing process .

The East Indians and Chinese adopted a s imilar method , and

secured a product s imilar though inferior to the natural gem .

The lustre of the pearl is pecul iar to it self, and it has been

said,has never been perfectly imitated, but, unfortunately, th ey

lose their beaut iful reflections by age, acids , gas , and'

o ther

n oxious vapors , and may in t ime crumble into dust to prevent

their los s of brill iancy , they should be kept in dry magnes ia.

Deteriorated pearl s may be restored to their original beauty

unless the inj ury penetrates to the centre. Thos e set in

ant ique j ewels have rarely been found uninj ured by the effect

of age or other agencies .

Round pearls are most admired , but oval or pear- shaped

ones are much larger ; the oriental spec imens are n earlyr

always round and of a white or yellowish t int , while those

from Panama are generally drop - shaped and of a dark colo r.

Misshapen pearl s,cal l ed “ baroques ,

” are frequently met with

as curios it ies ; they were employed by the Cinque - cento

j ewel lers for grotesque pendants worn as ornaments , but at

OP AL .—P EA R L . 291

the present day these “ freaks of nature are to be seen only

in collect ion s and museums . On e of the larges t g roups of

these baroques is found in the Green Vault s , at Dresden .

The Devonsh ire collect ion includes a very large pearl of

th is kind,which personates a mermaid, and is valued at ten

thousand do llars ; another of th ese abnormal product ions, pre

sented to the Great Mogul by Tavern ier, as a gift from his

government,represented a s iren arranging her hair.

Pearls are of various colors , compris ing white, b lack, rose,

salmon,blue

,gray

,and pink , which are sometimes imitated by

pink coral ; those found in the Western cont inent are of

several different shades . ' Black pearls command a h igh price

at the present time,on account of their rarity, but in Taver

n ier’s day they were of l ittle account , especially in the East .“ The orientals

,

” he says,prefer the whitest pearl s and the

blackest diamonds .” The Pers ians arranged th is gem in

twelve different classes,according to it s form and color.

A pearl of the first qual ity must be i ridescent , of bright

lustre , and pure whiteness , or of a del icate azure t int , which

is the most h ighly esteemed, thos e of a yellowish hue being

cons idered of inferior qual ity. When used in ordinary j ewelry

they are cut in halves, or perforated for beads, an operat ion

requiring great care to prevent the ir spl itt ing. Their commer

cialvalue, l ike that of many of the prec ious s tones , has always

been fluctuating, according to the changes of fashion or the

fancy of coll ectors . The price at the present day depends

largely upon their form,color

,texture

,and “ water. Some

famous pearl s on record were est imated at fabulous prices ;

that of Cleopatra was valued at on e mill ion sesterces , or

perhaps four hundred thousand dollars ; that of S ir ThomasGresham , at seventy-fiv e thousand dol lars . Their use as a

personal ornament has been equal ly vacil lat ing, they having

29 2 P R E CI OUS STONES.

been advanced at one period to the fi rst rank among gems,and

at another, con s igned to oblivion . In France,they reached

the ir cl imax during the regency of Catherine de Medici,where

they were preferred to any other gem , unti l they were super

seded by the diamond , in the t ime of Louis XIV.

The largest pearl known to Pliny weighed a l ittle more

than fifty- eight carats , a magnitude not often equalled,except

by baroques the finest in the French regal ia,as shown by the

inventory, did n o t exceed twenty- seven carats . The celebrated

pearl of Phill ip I I . , known as La Pelegrina ,” belonging to the

Span ish crown , weighs th irty- four carats . I t i s pear- shaped

and was obtained from Pan ama, or from San Margarita, o n the

coast of South America, and i s valued at fourteen thousand

four hundred ducats . The name “ La Pelegrma” has been

given to another pearl , claiming to be the largest perfect speci

m en known in Europe,weighing on e hundred and twenty

carats. I t was brought from India and sold to Phil ip IV. ,

King of Spain , but i s n ow , i t i s said , in th e possess ion of on e

o f the noble famil ie s of Russ ia . A pearl owned by on e o f the

sovereigns of Pers ia weighed on e hundred and s ixty- eight

carats , and was valued at two hundred and eighty thousand

dollars . The present Shah of Persia and the Imaum of Mus

cat each own a gem of th is kind, of inest imable value. A pearl

remarkable for beauty, t ransparency, - and perfection of form ,

though of l ittl e more than twelve Carats in weight , was owned

by an Arabian prince , who refused to sel l i t to the Moslem

emperor A urungz eeb for o n e hundred and forty thousand

l ivres , The specimen in the Hope col lect ion , South Kens ing

ton ,considered one of th e largest known , i s pear - shaped, and

yields the remarkable bulk of three oun ces .

Tavern iermention s several pearl s dist inguished for s ize , on e

of wh ich , owned by the Great Mogul , serv ed as pendant to his


294 P P E OJOUS STONES.

queen , was performed by Sir Thomas Gresham , an English

merchant,in th e reign of El izabeth . When the Spanish

ambassador,as the story goes

,was extol l ing the riches of his

sovereign,in the presence of the queen , Sir Thomas repl ied

that her maj esty had subj ects who at on e meal expended a sum

equal to the daily revenues of the King of Spain and all his

grandees put together. Soon after th is interview, the

ambassador was invited to dine with the Engl ish kn ight, when

the latter drew from his pocket a pearl for which he had

refused seventy-five thousand dollars , then ground it to pow

der and drank it in a glass of. wine to the heal th of the queen .

This incident does n ot, however, sett le the quest ion whether

th e pearl can be disso lved by a harmless ac id,s ince the

Engl ishman ’s gem was pu lverized,and drunk as a powder.

There is no doubt of the great ant iquity of the pearl used

as a gem , nor of the high estimat ion in which it was held, as

it is ment ioned by early writers , both sacred and profane .

Homer, who is unaccountably ret icent about precious st ones , i s

thought to refer to pearls in the term triple- eyed,” appl ied to

Juno ’s famous necklace,—an interpretat ion supported by the

fact that a triplet of pear- shaped pearl s forms a dist inctive

feature in the ant ique heads of th is goddess . The Pers ians

cherished the greatest admirat ion for th i s ornament , as is

shown by the custom of the Sassanian kings , who are always

represented with an enormous pearl in the right ear. TheGreeks imitated the Persians in the use of th is gem for personal

decorat ion,and the Romans surpassed both nat ion s in their

extravagance,often paying exorb itant prices for it, regarding

the possess ion of a s ingle costly pearl of more importance

than the conquest of a province . In one of h is triumphal

process ions into Rome , Pompey displayed thirty- three crowns ,

many of them taken from the treasury of Mithridates , a pop

OPAL .—PEAR L . 295

t rait of th is prince, h is own bust , and a small temple of Mars ,

all made o f pearl s . Jul ius Caesar found them very abundant

i n Great Britain , and the Romans , during their occupat ion ,

gathered great quant it ies of them from the fresh -water mussel.

A breastplate made of these Brit ish pearls was dedicated by

the great conqueror to Venus Genetrix, at Rome.

These beaut iful gems have served the purposes of meta

phors and other rhetorical figures in l iterature . They were

employed by the sacred authors as emblems of whatever is

superexcellent and difficult t o obtain . They entered into the

l ist of precious materials used in the construct ion of the celes

t ial c ity, whos e twelve gates were made of pearl . O ther

writers, as Shakespeare , Milton , Moore , and Scott , have se

lected th is gem for rhetorical effect . The'

Arabs compared

e loquence, which they classed with the most important accom

plishmen ts, t o pearls . Babylonians , Persians , Egyptians ,

Greeks , and Romans consecrated them to their d ivinities , an

indicat ion that they valued them as the choicest productions of

earth . They have been esteemed for their supposed medicinal

and myst ical virtues . Marco Polo informs us that the King

o f Malabar wore a kind o f rel iquary o f rubies,sapphires , and

emerald s, with a pendant of o n e hundred and four large pearl s

and rubies , by which he counted h is prayers to his idol s ,morning and evening.

Pearls have been obtained from certain local it ies in both

h emispheres . The oriental fi sheries include those of the

i slands in the Pers ian Gulf,where they are sometimes taken

at the surpris ing depth of twenty fathoms the Red Sea, for

m erly the ch ief source of supply, but now nearly exhausted ;the Indian Ocean , Ceylon , the East India I slands , and Japan .

T here have been , sometimes, thirty thousand nat ives , yearly

e ngaged in the business of pearl-fishing in the Persian Gulf, at


a profi t of more than three hundred thousand pounds per

annum : the most beautiful spec imens come from this region .

The coasts of Cal ifornia and Brit ish Co lumbia , and the Gulfs of

Mexico and Panama, are the ch ief places for pearl -fisheries on

th is cont inent . These local it ies were , probably, known to th e

Aztecs , s ince the Spaniards found immense quantit ies of pearls

among their t reasures . Cortez rece ived from Montezuma,whose

palace was studded with pearl s and emeralds,rich presents

,

cons ist ing of pearls , while a certain Mexican ch ief proffered an

annual tribute of on e hundred pounds of these gems to the Kingof Spain . Soon after the conquest , th e Span iards establ ished

fi sheries on the South American coast, wh ich caused so large an .

importation into Europe that , according to on e of their h isto

rians , they were sold in heaps at public auction in Seville .

These fi sheries were exceedingly product ive when first opened,

and for a long t ime subsequently but the supply, after a while,

gave indicat ions of exhaust ion, though specimens of fine lustre

but i rregular shape are st il l gathered on the west coast of

Centra l America. The pearls of Columbia and Cal ifornia , said

to display a pecul iarly beautiful lustre , have been cons idered

the peers of the Panama variet ies . Some of considerabl e size

have been found in New Jersey. A pearl from this region,

discovered several years ago , exceeded an inch in diameter,

and was sold in Paris for more than two thousand dollars , —apal try sum

,i t may be thought , when compared with the value

of some of the celebrated pearl s of history.

Both the Scotch and the Engl ish variet ie s acquired an earlyreputat ion and were thought to rival the oriental spec imens .

I t is es t imated that the fi sheries of the Tay and the Isla, dur

ing a period between 176 1 and 1764, amounted to fifty thou

sand dollars ; but subsequently the yield decl ined until 1864,

when it revived , and in that year s ixty thousand dollars were


2 98 P P E OJOUS STONES.

c arrying about twenty -fiv e pounds of rocks for that pur

pose .

The oysters when secured are left in heaps to die before

t he shell s are opened, and they are frequently sold in th is

c ondit ion , a pract ice which gives - the business someth ing o f

th e character of a gambling operat ion . Some shell s y ield n o

pearls,wh ile others contain from one to on e hundred or more,

o f different s izes , from seed - pearl s to those of ordinary and

e ven unusual dimensions .

The moth er- of- pearl , or l in ing of the oyster shell , const i

t utes no smal l i tem in the profi t s of th e bus ines s . I t is com

puted that fifteen thousand tons of th is commodity, the product

o f five or six m ill ions of oysters , are annually imported into

Europe.The pearl

,when firs t detached from the shell , ex

h ibits a s l ight roughness at the point of contact , which is

removed by pol ish ing with pearl- powder.

The Ceylon fi sheries for the fi rs t two years after the Eng

lish occupat ion of the island , in 1797 , yielded pearl s amount ing

t o nearly two mil l ion dollars ; at present , th ey are closed to

a fford time for the oyster to recruit . A description of these

fi sheries i s given by an eye -witness , who says the season ” at

Ceylon comprises from four to s ix weeks in March and April ,

a nd presents a busy scene . The shores of the Bay of Candal

c hy, the place of operations , afford a perfect babel of tongues ;here are peopl e represent ing many different nat ional it ies

,with

all the appl iances of the busines s , commingled with tents , huts ,

and markets thronged with j ewellers, merchants , and traders,

all in eager pursuit of the same obj ect , - the acquis it ion of

w ealth . The number of oysters obtained during the season is

amazing ; a s ingle boat has been known to land in o n e day

thirty- three thousand oysters , wh ich , augmented by.

the n umber

fi shed up by al l the other boats , exceeds all computation . This

OPAL.- PEAR L . 299

bus ines s holds out a tempting bait for th e dishonest employee,

and , notwithstanding the utmost vigilance , theft s are fre

quently perpetrated by all classes , divers , boatmen , washers ,s ifters

,and even superintendents , who have been known to

extract the pearls from the wash ing- troughs by attach ing a

viscous substance to the end of the canes used for punish ing

del inquent s for the same offence .

The most common variet ies are sent to China,those of the

next h igher qual ity are exported to Po land,South Germany

,

Russia, and the Danubian provinces , where they are worn by

the peasantry. Oriental princes have been the readiest pur

chasers of the finest South American pearl s ; Goa, in India,

was once the greatest mart in Asia for pearls , as well as for

diamonds , rubies , sapph ires , and other valuable gems .

Artificial pear ls are made of smal l globes of glass l ined with

wax and scales taken from the l iving fi sh , so as to preserve

the gl i stening hue .

ale Roman pearl s differ from other imitat ions

in having the coat ing on the outs ide of the glas s . A variety

of th e smelt,inhabiting the Tiber, affords the Roman j eweller

with the means of making wax beads more closely resembl ing

the genuine pearl than do either the Venet ian or the French

c ounterfeits .

A method somewhat differen t from this consists in putting in to the ho l low

g lass bulbs a mixture of liquid ammonia and the white substance of the scales of

certain fishes.

CHAPTER XVI .

S P IN EL , GA R N ET, TOU R M A L IN E ,TU R QU OISE , LAPIS -LAZU L I, ZIR

CON , CHR YSOL ITE , CHR YS OBER YL , IOL ITE , KYA N ITE ,

A POPHYLL ITE .

Spin el. —The name spinel is said to mean “ spark, and is

so cal led,probably

,from its pointed crystal s in the form of

octahedrons . I t has frequently passed for oriental ruby, but it

differs from that gem in its chemical nature , having for its

const ituents alumina and magnes ia with traces of certain

oxides in the colored variet ies .

This precious stone affords a wider range of color than

almost any other,includin g al l the prismatic hues with their

different shades and combinations , bes ides the colorless and

the black variet ies ; cry’

stal s occur from perfectly tran sparent

to nearly opaque . The kinds u sed for j ewelry are spin el-ruby ,

of pure red or crimson , t inged with blue or brown ; OdlaS -ruéy ,

exh ib it ing a ruby- red diluted with ros e or l ilac ; m bz'

celle, yel low

or orange - red ; almandin e, of a violet hue ; and Ceylom'

te, or

pleonast, green and dark brown to black, steel -gray, or slate.

Al l these colors afford numerous gradations in shades .

Before it s composit ion was understood,there was no dis

t inction made between the spinel and the corundum ruby,

which accounts for the fact that so many of the celebrated

rubies , so regarded , have proved to be what are cal led by

modern mineralogists spine ls . De Lisle , in 1783, was the

first scient is t to dist inguish between these different gems .

Both the spinel and the balas rece ive the name of ruby among300


302 P R E 6 10US STONES.

specimens occur as pebbles in the beds and o n the banks of

the rivers of oriental countries ; but according to a Persian

tradit ion , the m ines of spinel were revealed by the openin g of

a hill at Chatlan , during an earthquake .

On e of the finest sp inels known,and equal in s ize to a pigeon ’s

egg, i s in the possess ion of the King of Oude . Tavernier

enumerates on e hundred and eight large rubies in th e decora

tions of the throne of an Indian monarch,varyin g in weight

from one hundred to two hundred carats,while the computed

s ize of on e of them was two and one - half ounces . These gems

are now supposed to have been balas - rub ies , and are placed in

the same predicament with the famous spinel in the Engl ish

crown , once thought to be a ruby, a gem of h istorical interest ,

having been owned by Don Pedro of Cast ile, then by the Black

Prince, and afterwards worn by Henry V . , at the battle o f

Agincourt .

Tk‘

e Garn et The garnet group of minerals includes sev

eral species , havin g no other ch aracteri st ics in common than

their chemical composit ion and form of crystal s , whi le in

color,hardnes s, and specific gravity they differ very essen

tially. The crystal s of the garnet are cubical , s ingly refracting,

monochromatic , and transparent to translucent ; in hardness ,

th is gem -mineral ranges from a littl e below to a l ittle above

quartz , and includes different reds , yellow, green , brown , black,

and white . The term is derived either from pomegranate or

granatus, l ike a grain , and it is suppo sed to be one of the

preciou s stones to which the name anthrax was appl ied by

Theophrastus,and carbunculus or Alabandine stone, by Pliny .

It i s no t a rare gem , but Occurs in many local it ies in both

hemispheres ; the best American garnets are found in Colorado ,

New Mexico,and Arizona, which are said to yield several thou

sand dol lars worth of gems annually, but with a capacity for a

GA R N E T. 303

much larger production. Thes e garn ets, including blood - red,

almandine,yellow

,and other colors , are thought to be as fine

as those from any oth er country.

The numerous variet ies of the garnet are named accordingto the color of the m ineral, it s nat ive home, o r some other

casual circumstance, and comprise : almandin e,or precious gar

net ; essozzz'

te, or c innamon - stone vermez’

lle, or hyacinth -garnet ;succz

'

zzz'

te, an amber- colored variety from Piedmont ; pyrope, or

Bohemian garnet ; g rossularz'

z'

e, from Siberia, of a pale green ;and uwarow z

'

z‘e, from the Urals , of a beautiful emerald green and

remarkable bril l iancy, but seldomof suffic ient s ize and trans

paren cy for gem - stones . The Ital ian s give the name jacz'

nm [a

Oella to a yellow -

ga rnet, g zzam accifl o to a yel lowi sh crimson ,

and m bz’

7zo-dl’

- rocca to a variety t inged with violet . Syrian , or

serz'

am , garnet i s obtained from Syriam , in Pegu , and not from

Syria, as is sometimes stated . A honey-yellow occurs in the

Island of Elba, and a black variety, called melan z’

t'

e, i s known in

Italy and some other places . In fact , th is precious s tone

assumes so many forms,it has very appropriately been called

the'

Proteus of the gem family .

The almandin e, or alma fzdz'

te, found in Ceylon , Brazil , Green

land, and other countries , on e of the most beaut iful of the

Species , i s noted for it s cherry, blood- red, or brownish t ints ,

which assume an orange hue by candle - l ight, and i s sometimes

sold for rubies . The Bofiem z'

an , orpyrope, meaning“ l ike fire ,

”

a nat ive of Bohemia,Mexico

,and South Afr ica

,i s ' a deep, clear

red garnet and the hardest of al l the variet ies , ranking seven

and one -half in the scal e ; s ome mineralogists make a distin c

t ion between the pyrope and the Bohemian . The esson ite, or

cinnamon - stone , present ing a gold color t inged with flame red,

has often passed for hyacinth,a variety of th e zircon of the

same hue . The best spe cimens of essonite are imported from


C eylon , a local ity which undoubtedly furn ished the ancients

w ith th is gem , s ince numerous ant ique intagl i are found on thi s

variety o f the garnet . The dark orange fiyacz’

n t/z garnet i s al so

s ometimes taken for the true hyacinth , o r red zircon .

The name j ac inth , or hyacinth , i s g iven to varieties of several

s pecies , as the garnet , th e sapphire , the zircon , the topaz, and

the Vesuvianite, and, l ike some o ther names, i s on ly an epithet

c onferred o n account of the color. Some lapidaries ident ify

t he hyacinth with essonite , and others regard it as d ist inct

from the garn et , but its crystall ine form and typical composi

t ion are identical with those of th is species,the difference

c ons ist ing in color and specific gravity with th irty per cent

o f l ime in place of protoxide of iron . Engraved gems of what

w as thought to be true hyacinth are in real ity either hyacinth

g arn et or sard .

Guam accz'

n o, the brownish red variety of the Ital ians , unit es

t he qual it ies o f the garnet and the spinel , and when of supe' rior excel lence , i t can hardly be dist inguished from spinel - ruby,

w hil e a rose - co lored garnet resembles th e balas - ruby. An

o range- red variety receives the name vermez'

lle; the star

garnet , which displays a star, or rather a cross , when held in the

s unl ight , owes th is dist inction rather to it s construction than

to its color. A beaut iful gem of different greens shading to”

l iver- brown , thought to be garnet , has recently been d iscovered

a t Bobrowska, Siberia, in nodular masses , from the size of a pea‘t o that of a chestnut . It is a soft m ineral , not exceeding five

in the scale, but has a remarkable play of colors ; it s exact

c hemical composit ion is not placed beyond doubt . Beautifu l

white garnets , yield ing gem - stones , are developed in Can ada ,

.and a coars e, granular variety, called colop/zom'

te, i s found in

S candinavia and America .

The name carbun cle, as appl ied to a prec ious ston e, i s very


306 P R E OJOUS S TON ES .

worked, i t i s seldom used by modern engravers except for

small camc i. I t has sometimes been taken for ruby,and it is

supposed by some j udges that Wallenste in ’s ruby and many

others seen by Tavernier in Bohemia were garnets,in stead

of rubies or spinels . The best specimens of oriental garnet s

are Obtained from Ceylon and Pegu , and of these the latter

are preferred to the former ; the best European garnets are

those found in Bohemia.

l e Tourmalz°

7ze.

—There are several ant ique gems mention ed by old writers which had some o f the charac

teristics of the modern tourmal ine, affording a pretext for

ident ifying any o n e of them with this mineral . Theophrastus

refers to a stone found at Cyprus , which was green at one end

of the crystal and red at the other ; and Pliny says of th e

lychni s that i t attract s chaff and fi laments of paper when

heated by the sun or by frict ion . Both these qual it ies belong,

though n ot exclus ively, t o the tourmaline.

The true nature of thi s substance was not understood until

with in a century, and even at present it s peculiar qualit ies ,

which render it an interesting obj ect of sc ientific study, are

understood by only a few. I t stands almost alone in the

mineral kingdom,at least among prec ious stones , for i t s con

stituen ts and phys ical propert ies .

Though the remarkable characterist ics of the tourmaline

were made known to the French Academy of Sciences in the

beginning of the e ighteenth century , yet they did n o t attract

general attent ion unt il several years afterwards, when , by the

publ ished account s of a German experimenter, the in terest of

the sc ientist s o f Europe in th is mineral was suddenly aroused .

At first the subj ect excited oppos it ion , and a paper warfare”

followed,with a good deal of noise from both part ies , which

reached this continent and enl i sted Dr. Frankl in in the d is cus

T0UR M ALIN E . 307

sion . The quarrel in Europe was regarded of so much impor

tance, or amusement , that Hogarth introduced the subj ect into

on e o f his paint ings . At length the controversy was ended by

experiment,—a method which , it i s supposed , ought to have

been applied at the begln n ing, - and the result proved sat

isfactory to al l part ies .

The earl ier m ineralogists denominated th is species of s tone

SOAO’

TL—a n ame thought to be derived from a village in Ger

many,and applied to the gem by the miners , from its associat ion

with this place . The ident ity of the schorl with the tourma

l ine was discovered , first by Linnaeus , and subsequently by De

Lisle , after they had been regarded as separate species for two

centuries . Transparent crystal s , cut as gems, were first intro

duced into Europe by the Dutch about the first of the last

century,and with them their Cingalese name—tourmal ine .

The term schorl i s now applied to a black variety .

The chemical substances forming this mineral are numer

ous, compris ing a dozen or more different elements,s il ica and

alumina const itut ing the larger part, while the compos it ion

varies in the different kind s . It has a hardness about equal to

that of quartz . Crystal s assume the form of prisms,but often

terminate in a d ifferent manner, the pos it ive end having a

greater number of facets than the n egat ive end,a circum

stance of rare occurrence in crystallography. It i s tran spa

rent to Opaque , but transparency i s exhibited on ly in on e

direct ion,—a fact important to lapidaries .

Some curious phenomena are exh ibited by this wonderfu l

m ineral , which seem to invest it with almost magical powers .

When two sl ices,cut parallel with the axis

,and laid on e upon

the other,are viewed in o n e direction they are both transparent ,

but when seen in another direct ion they are opaque . If a

doubly refract ing crystal is placed between the two plates ,


the part covered by the intervening crystal i s transparent,

while the remainder i s Opaque. The tourmaline pos ses ses

double refract ion and remarkable electrical properties,with

great power of polarizing l ight , which is possessed in different

degrees by specimens from different localit ies . Those from

Mount Mica, in Maine, have it less powerfully than those

from Canada and Brazil . When heated or excited by frict ion,

it acquires different degrees of electricity at the different

extremities of the crys tal , and if broken in th is state , the

fragments present oppos ite poles l ike the magnet , but when

subj ected to a heat of about 2 12° Fahr. , i t loses its electricity

but regains it by reheating,though with poles reversed .

The electrical property of th i s precious stone was acci

dentally di scovered, i t i s said , by some children at Amsterdam ,

while playing with specimens brought there to be cut. They

n oticed that after exposure to the sun the tourmalines attracted

or repelled ashes,st raws

,or other l ight bodies with which they

came in contact,and communicated their observation s to their

adult friends . This naturally led to an investigat ion , which

resu lted in establ ish ing the fact that this gem possesses

remarkable electrical'

powers wh ich render it on e of th e mos t

curious and interest ing in the whole m ineral kingdom . On

account of it s attract in g ashes , the Dutch lapidaries styled it

A se/ze/zz’recker—“ ash - drawer.” I t affords also an instance of

pleochroism in i ts greatest perfect ion . Several other precious

stones exhibit vari ous colors in the same crystal , but the com

bin ation s presented by the tourmal ine are , in many instances ,

peculiar to it . Some specimens,when viewed in the direction

paral lel to the axes , are crimson , but when slight ly turned from

this posit ion they are wh ite, smoky green , or of some other

hue . The colors are great ly diversified both in shades and

combinat ions . S ome crys tal s appear green at one end and red


310 P R E 6 10US S TON E S .

of the specimens used for ornaments , and has been the princi

pal market for the j ewellers of Europe for more than two

hundred years. The dark green variety under the name of

Brazil ian emeralds was imported as early as the middle of the

seven teenth century. The production in Ceylon and India

has for a long t ime been large, though in some sect ions the

government restrict ions upon the exportat ion of gems have

limited their c ircu lat ion to the poorest specimens none of the

finest rubel l ites of Burmah ever reach the markets. of the world

unles s th ey are smuggled out of the country . A magnificent

group, however, was presented to Colonel Symes , in 1799, by

the King of Burmah , which was valued at five thousand

dollars , and is now in the Brit ish Museum . This inst itut ion

contains a superb col lect ion of tourmal ines , from nearly every

region where they, are found —pink and crimson , from Ava ,comprising a large number o f acicular crystal s standing l ike

basalt ic columns ; the colorless , from E lba and the Dolomite

Mountains ; rose- colored, from Moravia ; deep red , purpl e, and

blue,~ from Sweden ; c lear l ight green , from St . Gothard ; differ

ent shades of brown , from the Tyrol , affording the except ional

instance of having both ends of the prism faceted al ike ; brown

and b lue , from the United States ; and greenish yellow, from

Canada.

Siberia furnishes some magnificent specimens of various

co lors,including ruby- red, purple, green , and other tints , differ

ing in the arrangement of colors from those of any other

local ity. They are found in many places in this coun try, but

not always posses s ing the requis ite es sentials for j ewelry .

Dana ment ions several sect ions where they are developed

Chesterfield,Massachusett s

,where they occur of different

colors,in granite , but generally Opaque , somet imes translucent

i n Connect icut , New Hampshire, and Vermont , of a dark

TOU R M A L /N E . 31 1

c olor ; and in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania,

presenting shades Of yellow, blue, and green .

The most remarkable depos it of tourmal ines in America,

and perhaps in the world , was found in Paris , Maine, a few

years ago.Mr

.Hamlin

,in h is interesting account of the

discovery,says the m in e , covering only a few square rods, on

the brow of a hil l called Mount Mica , i s one of the most

wonderful found in any country. I t has yielded , from an area

o f thirty square feet, nearly forty variet ies , some of them being

rare and very beaut iful . This depos itory, which seemed almost

like an Aladdin ’s cave, was accidental ly d iscovered by Hamlin

and Holmes , two students , who had been searching for miner

als. The broken fragments of crystal s scattered about , led to

an examinat ion of the premises , which resulted in finding a

g ranite ledge perforated with cavit ies fi l led with tourmal ines

and other minerals . Some of the tourmal ine crystal s were

two and one - half inches in length and nearly two in diameter,

and of great beauty, t inted with different colors , ch iefly red

a nd green , though some were pink , others white , blue , or yel

low , and some transparent specimens were s imilar to the Brazil

ian emerald . No other s ingle deposit has yielded so great a

divers ity of colors as that of Mount Mica ; the crystal s are said

t o rival the South American gems in beauty,l impidity

, and

brill iancy , and are nearly equal to the rubell ite of Siberia .

T hey represent the dark green o f Brazil , the l ight green of St .

Gothard , the pink o f Elba , the l ight yellow of Ceylon , the

blue of Sweden , the white of Switzerland . The Hamlin collec

t ion at the New O rleans Exposit ion included specimens of

four different greens,bes ides red

,pink , yellow , and white .

The fame of th is natural treasury of minerals at Paris soon

became widespread , and attracted th ither collectors from dif

feren t countries , who carried off large quant it ies o f the best


spec imens to enrich the cabinets of the world. Both the

Russian and the Austrian consuls vis ited the spot and obtained

a supply for the museums of St . Petersburg and Vienna . It

was supposed in 1865, writes Mr. Haml in , that the mine , which

had been worked to the depth of s ix feet,had been exhausted

,

but recent excavat ions have revealed n ew cavit ies hold ing

broken crystals . On e of these contained a very remarkable

group , which suggested the poss ibil ity that there may be st il l

unexplored mines to reward the labors of any on e who will

dil igently seek for them . The m ining has been resumed, and

the yield in 1882 amounted to more than two thousand dollars.

The ent ire quant ity of stones suitable for gems obtained from

this region wou ld, i t i s con j ectured, amount to _

a sum be

tween fifty and seventy thousand dol lars.

There has been found a large number of tourmal ines at Mt .

Apatite , in the vic in ity o f Lew is ton and Auburn, in th e same

state , differing, however, in general appearance from those dis

covered in o ther places , and o f l ighter colors . Nearly fifteen

hundred specimens have been taken from this depos it , embrac

ing colorless variet ies , and the l ight shades of pink, blue,

brown,and green ; th e crystals are generally three , s ix, and

n ine s ided prisms .

The commercial value o f th i s spec ies of preciou s stone, ex »

cept for Opt ical purposes,i s small compared with many others ,

but when it i s employed in j ewelry,the dark-green specimens

are the most des irable .

TAO Turquoise.

—The name o f th is m ineral , it i s said , was

given to the species on account of it s having been introduced

into Europe from India through Turkey, a statement suggest

ing doubt , since Pers ia is it s chief nat ive place , where it is

found in the veins of clay- slate crossing the mountains in al l

d irect ions . The best qual ity comes from Khorassan,though



t ion and cleavage , infus ible, and unaffected by acids , and stands

o n e below quartz in hardness . The colors are a beaut iful sky

blue, green , or gray with a sl ight infus ion of green , and are

supposed to be due to protoxide of copper ; i t retains it s

n atural t ints by art ific ial l ight,and needs no foil to enhance it s

beauty.

Odon tolite, or bone turquo ise , somet imes sold for the true

a rt icle, i s composed of the teeth of fos s il mammals colored a

fi n e blue by contact with phosphate of iron and copper, differ

ing, however, from the Pers ian turquo is e in the inlay shades of

its colors .

The market value of the turquoise varies cons iderably ; the

P ers ian stones , which are always preferred for j ewelry, when of

large s ize and fine t ints,bring extravagant prices , though

the best specimens are difficult t o obtain s ince they are

appropriated by the Shah , and are freely used to ornament the

h il t s of swords and the handles of knive s and daggers . The

P ersian ambassador to the court of Louis XIV. presented his

m aj esty with a large number of fine Specimens , which accounts

f or their presence in the crown j ewels of France .

The turquo i se is more frequent ly used for amulets than any

o ther prec iou s stone , on account of its supposed myst ical

powers ; as a personal ornament it i s well adapted for an

e vening gem ,and can be worn with diamonds and pearls .

I t was not known to the an cients by it s modern name ; at

least , i t does not occur in their writ ings , though several antique

specimens are in the Vat ican Museum , and it i s frequently

di scovered among the ru ins o f Egypt . I t was fi rst ment ioned

by an Arab of the twelfth century . Mr. Streeter thinks it

doubtfu l whether the turquoise was known to the nat ions of

antiquity, but i t i s pretty certain it was used by the Greeksand Romans

,and

,probably

,by the ancient Pers ians . I t was

TUR OUOI SE . 3 15

highly esteemed in the Middle Ages for its remarkable prop

erties, and was bel ieved to grow pale when worn by a s ickly

person , and to change its colors with the hours of the day,a

superst it ion alluded to byBen Jonson in hi s Sej anus

Observe him as his watch observes his clo ckA nd, true as turquo ise in the dear lord’s ring,Lo ok wel l or illwith him .

”

It was believed to give warn ing to it s owner of an approach

ing calamity. Dr. Don ne says .

a

A s a compassion ate turquo ise doth tel lBy lo oking pale , the wearer is n o t wel l .

S hakspeare represents Shylock as saying he would not have

lost h is turquoise for “ a whole wilderness of monkeys .”

Both the cal/d is and the cal/aim: of Pl iny have been thought

to be identical with the modern turquoise, s ince they correspond

in some characterist ics to it the callain a, of a pale green color,found among the rocks of Mount Caucasus and in Carmen ia

(Pers ia) , yielded the best qual ity. Thi s naturalis t relates the

c urious story that the Persians were accustomed to obtain the

turquoise from the inaccess ible height s of their prec ipitous

mountains by shoot ing arrows t o detach it from the proj ect ing

c l iffs and bring i t within reach . Theophrastus mentions a

foss il ivory with variegated colors of white and blue, probably

o dontol ite , which was used very extens ively by the j ewellers of

his t ime , as i t i s by those o f th e present day. Modern tur

quoise i s somet imes called callaite , or callainite , from the

cal/d is o f Pliny, but th is mineral species , though it resembles

turquoise in colors,yet differs from it in composit ion and some

o f it s propert ies,being inferior in hardness and specific gravity.

Ins cript ions,consisting of t exts from the Koran , both in

Persian and Arabic , were cut on turquo is e , but engravings on

316 P R E 6 10US S TON E S .

th is stone are not abundant . The most notable are a figure

of Diana and another of the Empress Faust ina, in the collect ion

of the Duke of O rleans ; on e in Moscow,which formerly

belonged to Nadir Shah , in scribed with a sentence from the

Koran ; and on e in th e Florence collect ion . The bes t speci

mens,in the Opinion of Mr. King, are the head of Augustus

,

in the Pulsky col lect ion , and a Gorgon’s head

,in the Fould .

He says many of the ancient intagl i and camei cut on th is

gem are of doubtful antiqu ity, o n account of the perishable

nature of th e material . A magnificent necklace composed of

twelve turquoises of a pale blue , engraved with the twelve

Caesars in rel ief, was sold at the beginning of the prese nt cen

tury,for only on e thousand eight hundred dollars .

L apis-laz uli. - This mineral does n ot properly belong to

th e family of precious s tones , al though it has been used from

very early t imes in j ewelry and oth er decorat ions , and is sup

posed to be the sapphire of ant iqu ity , which has been described

by the writers of those t imes as spotted with gl itterin g parti

cles o r “ shin ing with golden specks , l ike a serene sky adorned

with stars .” It s name, lapis am ", from the Arabic , signifies“ blue stone.Haiiy considers this m ineral identical with the lazul ite of

mineralogists , but Dana classes them as dist inct species ,

differing in composit ion and specific- gravity, though the pre

c ise constituents of the blue variety have n o t been ascertained

beyond a doubt . The lapis - lazul i is regarded by Church , n o t

as a definite mineral,but a mixture of a colorles s and a blue

substance cal led hauyn e , spangled with minute yellow part i

cl es of iron pyrites . It i s translucent to opaque , with a

hardness vary ing from five to s ix, and colors compris ing azure

b lue, v iolet lue , red and green with white or yel low spots , and

sometimes white ; i t lo ses it s beaut iful azure by exposure to


3 I 8 P R E 6 10US S TON E S .

I t i s said the ant ique fashion of cutt ing fine Pers ian

lapis- lazul i for brooches and pendants has recen t ly been

revived .

T/ze Z ircon —This stone i s supposed to be the same as the

lyn curium of ant iquity, though Pl iny discards the idea that

such a gem as the lyn curium was ever known . Ancient intagl i

are found upon the zircon , th erefore it must have been familiar

to early engravers by some other epithet , not now ident ified .

The name is thought to come from the Arabic word g ent ,

meaning gem .

I t i s a rare and beautiful m ineral,affording a range of rich

and del icate shades , which , for their remarkable play of colors

and brill iant lustre, place it next to the diamond as an orna

mental stone. The transparent colored specimens and the color

less varietie s are used in j ewelry. In its physical qual it ies , i t

affords an instance of decided double refract ion , with a hard

ness a l ittle above quartz , and crystall izes in the form of double

pyramids.The colors are variable— red , green , blue , yellow,

brown ,gray

,amber

,al l present ing many gradat ions , and a

colorless variety,which

, on account of i t s h igh refracting

power,transparency

,and lustre

,i s often passed for the dia

mond.Some of the red variet ies are remarkable for the vivid

nes s of their t ints , and have been l ikened to a flame of fire ;

the blue and yellow hues are rare . S i l ica and zirconia, with

iron for co loring,form the const ituents of th is spec ies of

precious stone. The zircon , in some of it s variet ies , has

sometimes been taken for essonite ; but its compos ition i s

quite d ifferent from that of the garnet.

I t i s found in many different countries , including Ethiopia,

India,Arabia

,Ceylon

,Norway

,Bohemia , Saxony, France , New

South Wales , and the United States though it has n ot yet been

discovered in th is country of suflicien t s ize to be of great value

CHR YS OLZTE . 319

as a gem - stone . The best specimens are obtained from Ceylon ,New South Wales, and France.

Sometimes the terms z ircon , j argoon, hyacinth or j acinth,

are indiscrim inately appl ied to the species ; whereas the last

named stones are on ly variet ies of the zircon . The names hya

cin th and j acinth are really the same , the former being Greek,the latter Arabic

,and though sometimes appl ied to variet ies of

other species,as corundum

,vesuvianite, topaz, garnet, and some

others,the true hyacinth is the transparent, bright - colored zir

con , while the name j argoon is given to the colorles s or smoky

variet ies . A bluish violet gem known to the ancients as hyacin th is supposed to have been the modern sapph ire .

The red zircon or hyacinth,remarkable for lustre, resembles

the ruby, and the pal e yellow,which is extremely bril l iant

,

might be mistaken for the yellow diamond or the topaz ; i t is

even considered superior to the latter for ring- s tones,though it

i s not a favorite in the circles of fash ion . I t is porous , as may

be seen byholding it up against a strong l ight . Hyacinth is

found in rolled pebbles in Ceylon and France.

The j argoon , written also j argon , i s a grayish or smokywhite zircon resembling the d iamond

,and cons idered

,unt il the

present century, an inferior diamond . The variety obtained

from Matura , Ceylon , where it i s called Matura diamond,

”is

often sold in the bazaars of India for the genuine diamond ; it

seldom occurs in crystal s of more than ten or twelve carats

weight .

Tke Ckii litez The “ golden stone,as th e name sign i

fies , supposed to be the topaz of the ancients , is a t itle appl ied

to variet ies of several different species of gem -minerals , but it

i s not identical with the chrysoberyl,as has somet imes been

represented, differing from it in composition , hardness, and

other characterist ics . Sil ica,magnes ia, and iron form the


largest const ituents , which shows that the ch rysol ite has very

little in common with the chrysoberyl . I t i s on e of the softer

g ems , ranking below seven , i s electric by frict ion , doubly refrac

t ive , t ransparent to translucent , and in color represents various

s hades of green , yel low, brown , and gray, to nearly wh ite .

The kind used in j ewelry i s a pale, yellowish green stone, cut

in the form called step , or as a rose diamond . The chrysol ite

i s said to be th e on ly prec ious stone set transparent by the

a ncient Roman s , al l others being fo iled with gold or copper,w i th the view of enhancing their bri ll iancy. Somet imes th is

m ineral i s found in masses of the s ize of a turkey ’s egg,but

m ore frequently in comparat ively smal l crystals .

There is some difference of practice ‘in the classificat ion of"

the chrysol it e , which makes it very difficul t - to understand

w here it should belong, if indeed i t has any legit imate place at

all. I t is supposed to be the chrysoberyl o f Werner, the

c ymophane ofHaiiy, and to claim relationsh ip with the beryla nd oth er gems .

The variet ies inc lude the peridot ordinaire, in dist inct ion

from the oriental,and oliv in e, both depending upon color,

which is deep ol ive -green in the latter, and yel lowish green in

t he peridot . I t i s known , however, that some modern writers

o n precious stones cons ider the names chry sol it e, peridot , and

o l ivine interchangeable term s for the same species , while

others represent ol ivine the species,and chrysol ite and peridot

t he names of variet ies .

The chrysol ite i s a volcanic mineral foun d in Egypt ,‘

Turkey,South Africa

,Austral ia, France , Mexico, and the

United States ; much of that used in Europe i s brought from

the Levant , but th e finest specimens are of Egyptian origin .

I t i s said - t o occur of very good qual ity in small pebbles

imbedded in the .sands of Arizon a, Colorado, Montana, and



sometimes been relegated to obscurity by the caprices of

fashion . I ts chemical const ituents are alumina and glucina,

with traces of some other substances for coloring agents ; it i s

transparen t to translucent, occas ionally Opalescent internal ly,displays a remarkable play of colors , and is double refracting.

I ts gl ittering crystal s exh ibit different shades o f green , brown ,

yellow, and wh ite colors ; the transparent yellowish specimens ,

cut with facets , and the opalescent variet ies , en caboekon , are

those most frequently used for ornamental stones .

The term eymopfzafze, meaning“ to appear l ike a wave of

l ight ,” i s given to a variety o f the chrysoberyl when it has the

appearance of enclos ing rays of l ight , which seem to be floatingin the interior of the stone , a phenomenon supposed to be th e

result of blue reflections emanating from a milky-white sub

stance ; or the gem may be compared to a drop of water with

a beam of l igh t imprisoned within . Example s of th is variety

of the chrysoberyl are seen in the South Kens ington Museum .

A lexandr/ ite.

—This red and green variety of th e chryso

beryl was named for Alexander I . , Emperor of Russia, who

adopted these hues for the imperial colors . It affords a good

example of dichroism , present ing a dark green by dayl ight,

wh ich changes t o a columbine red in the evening or by art i

ficial l ight. Its discovery in the Ural s is of recent date, though

it i s said about on e- th ird of all those sold are from Ceylon , a

large per cent of them weighing over s ixty carats.

Ca t’

s-eye .—Th is variety of the chrysoberyl i s the true cat ’s

eye and ent irely unl ike the chatoyant quartz erroneously called

by this name. I t seems to be a sub - translucent form of

cymophane,and partly the result of art or the form o f cutt ing ;

its pecul iar p lay of colors i s attributed to minute internal

striations . I t was called by some of the nat ions of ant iquity“ oculus sol is

,

” eye of the sun , and is at the present day a

I OL I TE A N D K YA N I TE . 323

favori te in China , where it commands a high price . The cabi

net of Vienna contains a cat ’s - eye of a yellowish brown color,

which measures five inches in length . The sum of five

thousand do l lars , says Emanuel , was paid recently by an

Engl ish nob leman for a cat’s - eye of extraofdinary size and

beauty.

Iolite —This mineral i s known by several n ames : iolite

(“ violet dichro ite (

“ two and sapphire d ’eau

(“ water I t is a beaut ifu l and interesting stone,

remarkable for it s play of colors , and is occasional ly used for

gems . When cut,the crystal s present d ifferent shades of blue,

red , brown , and yel l owish gray, according to the direct ion in

which they are viewed. It s chemical const ituents are s il ica,

alumina, magnes ia, and iron ; it s hardness , exceeding that of

quartz, and it s fine color, render it a des irab le ornament. The

transparent specimens , called sapph ire d’eau , resemble the true

sapphire, and are somet imes sold for th is prec ious stone ;those from Ceylon , of intense blue and used in j ewelry, are very

complex in their composit ion and conspicuous for their dichro

ism . Iol it e i s found in Greenland,Scandinavia, Bavaria,

Spain , Tuscany, Ceylon , and in some local it ie s in the United

States .

Kyan ite.—This name s ignifies dark blue color, though the

mineral affords examples of other colors , white , gray , green ,

and b lack . It i s somet imes cal led disthene, meaning twice,”

or of two kinds,because it possesses both p os it ive and nega

t ive electric ity. The sky-b lue variety, when transparent, i s

occasionally used in j ewelry,and is sometimes sold by oriental

lapidaries fo r sapph ire . Its composit ion is s im ilar to that of

iol ite, with the exception o f magnesia , but its hardness

i s inferior ; i t i s found in many different places in both

hemispheres .


Apopkyl/ite.—Th is substance i s sometimes classed with

gem -minerals , but it s defi ciency in hardness , ranking only

from 4 to 5, renders it s use for j ewelry very doubtful . The

name is derived from its tendency to exfol iate under th e

blow-pipe. I t i s generally transparent , white or gray, occa

sion ally t inged with green , yellow, or red, and has a pearly

lustre resembl ing the eye of a fish , whence i t is sometimes

called “ fish - eye stone . I t occurs in India,the Harz Moun

tains , Greenland , I celand , Mex ico, the United States , and

other localit ies.


326 P R ECLOUS S TON E S .

haps minute scales of other mineral s , thus increas ing the

pecul iar p lay of brill iant colors seen in thi s beaut iful sub

stance . A variety of labradorite has been incorrectly called

saussurite,and j ade or nephrit e. As an in stance of on e of

the curious freaks of nature, i t i s ment ioned that a slab of

labradorite found in Russia bore an image of Louis XIV. ,

of France, wearing a crown of pomegranate, with a bor

der displaying all the prismatic colors , and a plume of bluish

t int . This marvel of natural paint ing was owned by a Rus

s ian noble, who refused to part with it for two hundred and

fifty thousand francs .

j ade —This i s a generic term , in cluding various mineral

substances, as nephrite, saussurite , and oth ers. The n ames j ade

and nephrite have the same origin , from words signifying“ kidney ,

”

given to these m ineral s from the opinion that they

were efficacious in diseases of the kidneys . Some min eralo

gist s cons ider j ade dist inct from j adeite , while others class it as

a translucent variety of zois ite , th e tenOS of Pliny . King

th inks i t dqubtfulwhether j ade was known to ancient c lass ic

writers at all,s ince it was imported , with its oriental n ame ,

into Europe from the East , by the Portuguese .

Its compo s it ion includes a variety of substances, s ilica and

alumina being the principal. The color passes from dark green

to cream -white. The Chinese variety is generally of a l igh t

green or bluish white, while that from New Zealand is a rich ,

dark green .

This mineral i s also found in Egypt , Austral ia , Switzerland ,

and,i t i s thought

,in Alaska , east of Po int Barrow, s ince imple

ments made of dark green j ade were found in this vic inity by

the members of the Alaska Expedit ion . O rnaments made of

this material, Obtained from burial mounds in Nicaragua and

Costa R ica, agreeing in color, hardness, and specific gravity

LA B R AD OR I TE A N D OTHER GEM S . 327

w ith Asiatic j ade, have suggested the idea that the nat ives of

these states obtained their supply from the East .

The Chinese employ j ade for vases and o ther art icles of a

similar character, of various shapes an d s izes , which are to‘be

seen in great numbers at al l internat ional expos it ions, and in

the shops of dealers in such wares . Translucent spec imens of

the best qual ity are used for ear-pendants , which Indian lapi

daries cut with great skill, showing remarkable l ightness and

del icacy of workmanship . I t i s probabl e the stone hardened

after it was taken from the mines and cut , s ince antique obj ects

made of j ade are so hard that no material but the diamond can

scratch them . For want of brill iancy, th is substance does not

rank high as an art icle of j ewelry, but it i s used with beaut i

ful effect for ornamental vases . The Caribees , as related by

Humboldt , wore j ade amulet s cut in the shape of Babylonian

cylinders ,—an interesting fact to the ant iquary, which might ,

poss ibly, throw some l ight upon the origin of the native races

o f th e New World . The j ade found in Mexico,highly prized

by the Aztecs , was considered by the Spaniards a kind of

emerald .

N epkrite.—This m ineral

,ident ical with the pietm O

’e Iii/Odd

o f Mexico and Peru , is a tough , compact tremol ite , introduced

into Europe after the conquest of these countries , and is

s imilar to that found in China and N ew Zealand. The bow

e n ite of Rhode Island resembles it in appearance, though

it differs in composit ion . Nephrite i s rich in color and very

t ough and hard. What is cal led soft j ade is a kind of steat ite,

o r soap - st one .

A maz on -ston e.—Microcl ine

,or Amazon- stone , was the axe

stone j ade from South America, which Dana classes as a

variety of orthoclase ; i t i s pal e green , with nacreous reflec

t ions,and susceptible of a high pol ish , but is very brittl e. The


name was given to i t from the supposit ion that it was first

discovered on the Amazon river ; but Hauy says it is a m is

nomer, as it i s found only in the Russian Empire and in Green

land ; but s ince h is day i t has been known to occur in other

places. I t was discovered at Pike’s Peak, Co lorado, in 1875,

in a local ity retired from any travelled road , imbedded in a

kind of graph ic granite,in pockets

,at a depth of eight or ten

feet , and extending over a very l im ited area. Amazon - stone

has also been found in Maine,Pennsylvan ia, Virgin ia, and

North Carol ina. I t occurs in large crystal s of a l ight bluish

green color passing to a dark emerald green , while some speci

mens are yellowish , flesh color, or white .

S ausszzrite.

—This mineral,discovered in the vic in ity of

Lake Geneva and named for De Saussure, appears to be a

variety both of zois ite an d labradorite ; it i s of a pale green

col or, pass ing to nearly black, and is employed as an orna

mental stone .

M alaekite, A z an ia—Malach ite is clas sed by Hauy withth e inferior precious stones

,and

,though hardly worthy the

name of gem , i t has been used for j ewelry, bo th in ancient and

modern t imes .

Theophrastus al ludes to a specie s of stone found in copper

mines , and called false emeralds, whi ch may have been either

malach ite or chrysocolla,s ince both contain a large per cent of

copper and are found in or near such mines . The moloe/zitiS

of Pliny, obtained from Arabia, of a deep green and nearlyopaque , was , without much doubt , the same as the malach ite o f

the present day. The name of this species of m ineral is derived

from moloe/ze, or met/Odie, S ign ifying mallow,

” conferred in ref

erence to its color,which resembles the hue of that vegetable .

Malach ite is a hydrous carbonate of copper—some sc ient istssay, the product of decomposed minerals containing copper.



M oonston e I t i s no easy matter to clas s th is chameleon

like gem , s ince it claims k indred with so many spec ies , and

passes under so great a number of names . I t const itutes a

v ariety of orthoclase , albite, and ol igoclase , all of the feldspar

g roup, while the ancient s applied the name to selenit e or

gypsum . I t has been cal led cat ’s - eye, a name given to four

other different stones ; argentine, a pearly lamellar calc ite ;oeil de

'

poisson (fi sh’s eye) water or Ceylon Opal , and adularia.

The name hecatolite has been given to it for the same reason

that it receives that of moonstone—namely,because it was

t hought to enclose the image o f Luna , one of the forms of the

threefold goddes s Hecate . The moonstone of Dioscorides,

wh ich he cal ls moon- froth , was probably crystall ized gypsum .

This mineral exh ibit s a s ilvery or pearly l ight,not unl ike

that of the moon , and in some of it s variet ies it resembles ice ;it i s Opalescent , white, grayish , yel lowish , or reddish in color

,

and as an ornamental stone is very fash ionable in some coun

t ries , where it i s sold in large quanti t ie s . Moonstone of good

qual ity, resembl ing that from St . Gothard , i s found in Pen n syl

v ania and Virginia, but the best variety comes from Ceylon ,

w hich yields some fine gems , known to measure more than an

inch in length .

S unszozze . The aventurine ol igoclase called sunstone ex

h ibits prismat ic reflect ions of a golden or reddish hue , the

resul t o f minute disseminated crystal s of hematite , goth ite , or

m ica, and i s sometimes used for j ewelry. The term aventurine

appl ies to any mineral spangled with scales o f some bright

substance,and n o t to a species or to any part icular variety of a

species,—as aventurine quartz, aventurine feldspar ; but some »

t imes the name i s used in an indefinite manner, as when sun‘

stone is called oriental aventurine. A variety of th is mineral,

from St . Gothard , passes under the name of adularia, which

LA E R A D OR / TE'

A N D OTHE R GEM S . 331

differs from the orthoc lase adularia . Sunstone of very good

quality is known to occur in certain local i t ies in the United

States,but those o f the finest qual i ty are brought from Arch

an gel , f R ussia.

A dularia . This mineral i s a transparent variety of ortho

clase , which i s characterized by pearly or Opalescent reflect ions ,an d a play of colors resembling labradorite ; i t was named for

o n e of the peaks of St . Gothard , where i t i s found , and i s iden

t ical with the valencianite of Mexico . The opaque, green

adularia i s called amazon - stone—a term applied to variet ies of

o ther species ; and it i s sometimes used for j ewelry, under the

n ame of moonstone .

P keAaR ite. This name is equivalent to “ deceiver, and

was conferred upon th is spec ies on account of it s having been

frequently mistaken for other m ineral s . The wh ite variety

may easily pass for the d iamond if the play of prismatic colors

is very conspicuous,as not unfrequently happens . It is some

t imes transparent , but oftener translucent or clouded . The

c olors do not embrace a wide range,consist ing of brown

, and a

bright wine -yel low incl in ing to red it s hardness is superior to

t hat of quartz, and the crystal s , often of large size, are doub le

refract ing . S ilica and glucina are the only substances which

e nter into it s composit ion .

The best specimens come from the emerald and chrysoberyl

mines of As iat i c Russia,and some stones of su itable .qual ity

for j ewelry have been discovered at Pike’s Peak, Colorado .

As a gem , phenakit e i s rare, but may be found in collect ion s ;t he Brit ish Museum contains some fine crystals .

Z on oe/zlorite.—This mineral species was discovered by Dr.

A . E . Foote , in 1868, at N eepigon Bay, o n the north shore o f

Lake Superior,in an amygdalo id trap, assoc iated with some

o ther min eral s . I ts const ituents are l ime, sil ica , alumina,


soda , and water ; i t does not crystall ize , but is found in

masses with - bands arranged in concentric layers of different

shades of dark green . With a hardness , in some specimens ,equal to quartz

,i t admits of a good pol ish ,—a qual ity

,together

with its fine color, const itut ing it an agreeable gem - stone.

The name is a comb inat ion of three words, meaning “ banded

green stone .

Diopsid’e.

— The name diops ide , meaning “ double appear

ance,’ was given to a variety of pyroxene, o n account of its

dich ro i sm ; it s range of co lor includes white,brown

,and

various shades of green resembl ing green tourmal ine, o r green

epidote . Though softer than quartz , th e transparen t crystals

are cut for gems . The Tyrol i s th e best known local ity for

this m ineral on the Eastern Cont inent , but fin e'

specimens,

weigh ing from six to fifteen carats , comparing favorably with

the imported stones,have been discovered at De Kalb , N ew

York , said to be the only place in thi s country where theyhave been found .

D iopmse.

—The mineral known as dioptase , s ignifying to

look through , regarded by some lithologists as a green

variety of the beryl,i s clas sed by Dana as a species , closely

all ied , however, to that precious stone , though . differing in

hardness,spec ific gravity, and chemical composit ion , which

consist s of a large proport ion of oxide of copper. The crystal s

are tran sparent to translucent , and posses s the qual ity of

double refract ion in a h igh degree ; i t c lo s ely resembles the

emerald in appearance,for wh ich it i s sometimes sold . I t i s

very l im ited in its natural d istribut ion , occurrin g almos t exclu

siv ely in the Kirghiz Steppes , Siberia , where it was discovered

and named ach irite .

EpidoteZ—The epidote, occas ional ly employed as a gem

stone,i s sometimes denominated green schorl . The predomi



On e of i ts const ituents i s t itania , as is int imated by the name

of the species . Its color variet ies afford green,yel low

,gray

,

brown , and black crystals , wh ich exh ibit a great difference o f

forms , and strong refract ing and dispersive powers ; it holds

a middle rank for hardness . Fine yellow specimens,yielding

beaut iful gems , are obtained in Switzerland and other regions ,while black and brown variet ies are plentiful in the United

States , but not of a qual ity su itable for the uses of j ewelry.

In some of it s variet ie s i t resembles fire- opal .

L epia’

olite.—Several countries of Europe , as wel l as some

local it ies in N ew England,afford th is species of mineral ,

which is frequently used for making ornamental boxes,vases

,

and other fancy art icles,and sometimes for personal ornaments

,

though it i s not , strictly speaking, a prec ious stone . The name,

meaning “ s cale stone , i s due to it s pecul iar structure. It i s

very soft,holding a rank of only two and one -half in the scale,

t ranslucent,and is very complex in composit ion . The range

of colors includes white , rose, yellow, and different shades of

gray. The Indian lapidaries cut the crystal s of lep idolite with

facets o r ezz eaOoe/zO/z, which they sel l for sapph ires .

C/lzlom strolite.

—This name is composed of three Greek

words,s ignifying “

green~star- stone . The mineral occurs in

smal l,rounded

,water-worn pebbles wh ich have come from t rap,

on the shores of I sl e Royale , Lake Superior, and is exclus ively

an American gem . I t i s opaque , of a l ight bluish green color,

presents a stellated o r chatoyant appearance, and, with a

hardness of five to s ix,takes a fine pol ish . I t i s sold for

cabinet use or gem - stones , the annual p rofit s from th is source

reach ing, i t i s est imated , from two thousand to three thousand

dol lars . Specimens one inch in length and of fine color have

been valued as h igh as fifty dollars each .

Ax iizite.—This - substance is very rarely used in j ewelry,

LA BR AD OR I TE A N D OTHE R GEM S . 335

though it makes an agreeable ornament when cut en eaOoe/zoa .

The name signifies an axe,” given in al lusion to the form of its

crystals . Axinite i s transparent to translucent,and affords

blue, plum - co lored , brown , and l ight gray variet ies , and s ome:

t imes crystals are known to combine three colors,brown

,blue

,

and green , when viewed in certain directions . I t possesses

sufficient hardness to admit of a good pol ish , but its qual ity

for a gem - stone IS impaired by it s brittleness . I t i s said th is

spec ies and the tourmal ine are the only minerals used for

precious stones , containing boron , which in axin ite is found

only in small quantitie s in a few spec imens. Though a nat ive

of th is country, the best variet ies are brought from France.

Vesuv ian ite, or fi loerase.—The Gem of Vesuviu s ,

’ or the

Hyacinth of Vesuvius ,” as this species i s sometimes called,

i s ident ical with the modern idocrase, which means see and

“ mixture .

” Vesuvianite i s the more appropriate name, s ince it

was first obtained from the ej ected rocks of Vesuviu s and

Somma, though it has s ince been found in Piedmont, Norway,

the Urals , Hungary, Canada, and the United States . Haiiycalls the pal e yellow variety volcani c chrysol ite, and the yel

lowish green,vol canic hyacinth . This species i s s imilar to the

garnet in composit ion , but differs from it in the form of its

crystals ; i t i s non - electrical , and possesses refract ive powers

only in a feeble degree . With a hardness of s ix and on e- half,

and an array of colors including different shades of green ,

yellow, orange , blue, brown , and, occasionally, black, i t consti

tutes qu ite a desirable orn amental stone . When cut, it i s sold

at Naples and Turin under the name of Gemme di Vesuvio ,

chrysol ite, or hyacinth , according to the color. A pale blue« variety is cal led cyprine .

Obsidian . Iceland agate and volcanic glass are both terms

which have been appl ied to obs id ian . Church cal ls it melted

3 35 P R E CLOUS S TON ES .

o rthoclase,and Dana says it often cons ists o f a mixture of

- labradorite,augite

,chrysol ite, and iron . I t i s not found in

c rystals, but occurs in globu les or masses , afford ing reddish

brown , green , yel low,and black variet ie s . The last resembles

b lack spinel s,tourmal ines

,and garnet s

,only they are more

trans lucent. On the authority of Pl iny, i t was named for

Obsidius, who claimed to be it s discoverer, and was used by

t he Romans n o t only for j ewelry, but al so for m irrors which

reflected the shadows of obj ect s . The Emperor Augustus

dedicated four elephants cut in obsidian to the gods in the

T emple of Concord , at Rome. An obsid ian statu e of Memnon

was found in Egypt during the reign of Tiberius , thus proving

its great antiqu ity for art purposes . It was used by the

ancient Peruvians and Mexicans for personal ornaments,mir~

rors, and cutt ing instruments , and when faceted it i s s t il l

e mployed occas ional ly in j ewelry. M oldarite, or bottle - stone,

o f Moravia, i s green obsidian . The American variety,found in

large masses in Cal iforn ia and other Pacific regions,i s seldom

u sed for ornamental purposes .

L odeston e.

—This substance, called also magnet ite, has beenempl oyed in art for intagl i , especial ly those represent ing

G nost ic subj ects . Its wonderful magneti c powers induced

D in ocrates, a celebrated arch itect in the t ime ofl

A lexander

the Great,to begin a temple dedicated to Arsinoe, wife of

Ptolemy Philadelphus,the roof of wh ich was to be made of

lodestone, so that the iron statue of the queen might remain

suspended,as if floating in air, - a plan the art ist d id not l ive

t o complete . This story may have suggested the fict ion about

the coffin of Mahomet .

Claud ius mentions two statues made o f lodeston e , o n e of

V enus and the other of Mars , which , when placed in the same

t emple together,were attracted towards each other by a mutual


338 P R E CLOUS S TON E S .

pol ish them for ornamen tal stones . The name is derived from

Spoa’

es,“ ashes

,

”o n accoun t

‘

of it s as suming an ash color under

th e blow- pipe . Sil ica , alumina, l ithia, and iron , with traces of

some other mineral s , are found in some of it s variet ies . It s

hardness,equal to that of quartz, and it s del icate green color ,

sometimes shading upon red , const itute it a des irable material

for the j eweller’s art . I t i s found on the Eastern Cont inen t ,and in various places in the United States . Green

,transparen t

crystals have been discovered in North Caro l ina,and amethys

t ine colored specimens in Connect icut .Hia’emzite, or l i thia - emerald , a n ew variety of spodumene,

was discovered on the farm of Mr. Warren , in Alexander

County, North Carol ina, in loose crystal s , sparsely scattered

ove r the surface of the so il . These were shown to Mr. W.

E . H idden, of New York , a co l lector of minerals , who leased

the grounds and carried on a systemat ic explorat ion in 1880,

which resulted in h is d iscovery of the m ineral in S ita . I t

occurs, says Dr. J . L . Smith , in metamorph ic rocks , generally

gneiss or mica- schi st , in veins of hard kaol in , which have been

examined to the depth of more than twenty feet - without

reveal ing any change of character. The associated mineral s

consist of quartz,mica

,rut ile , orthoclase, and beryl . When

first discovered,the crystal s were supposed to be diops ide ; but

when subj ected to a blow-pipe test,they proved to be a new

variety of spodumene,to which the n ame of hiddenite was

given by Dr. Smith , in honor o f Mr. Hidden , whose successful

operat ions developed th is rich mine .

When cut and pol ished,th is beaut iful gem resembles the

emerald in bril l iancy and lustre , and has even been thought t o

surpass i t in these qualities ; but in vividness of color it fall s

below. It i s always transparent , and ranges from colorless , a

very rare variety, to a deep green , which is generally more

LA ER AD OR LTE A N D OTHE R GEM S . 339

v ivid at one end of the crystal than at the other. I t is

said to be worth from thirty - two dol lars to two hundred

per carat,and the demand at that price exceeds th e pro

duct ion .

Cfioadrodife, a s il icate of magnes ia and iron, i s known to

occur in granular l imestone in Finland , Sweden , the Urals ,Scotland , Canada, and the United States . The name, meaning

a grain,

” i s due to its granular structure . I ts hardness,trans

lucency,and range of colors , embracing white, yellow, red,

green , brown , black, and gray, have placed it in the rank of

gem -minerals .

Bower/dle and Williamsite, both variet ies of serpentine,

have been employed for ornamental uses . The former, found

in Rhode Island , i s a rich green stone resembling nephrite, and

was once known by th is name . Will iamsite, of an apple -green

color,i s sometimes used as a subst itute for j ade.

Tkomsozzite i s developed in lava and some metamorphic

rocks in various countries ; that found near Lake Superior

exhibits a flesh -red, banded with green , red, and white, afford

ing an attract ive m ineral for ornament .

Willem iz‘e, said to receive its name from the King of the

Netherlands, i s a s il icate of zinc, and is found in Greenland,the United States

,and some European countries . Tran spar

ent specimens display rich brown , red, yel low, and green

colors ; a variety discovered in New Jersey has yielded gems

of several carats weight .

R utile, sometimes called red sehorl, i s of a reddish brown

pass ing into red,and occas ionally into yellow, violet , blue ,

black, rarely green . It has been found in North Carolina and

Georgia of a compactness and lustre su itable for gems . The

dark- col ored specimens of the former State are thought to

resemble more closely the black diamond, in hue and lustre,


than any other gem, whi le those of the latter, after cutt ing,

more nearly -approach the garnet in the tone of color.

S ag eizite, rut ile in quartz, called also Love’s arrows

,and

Venus ’- hair stones , received the n ame from a word meaning aHnet,on account of the acicular crystal s i t encloses . The

co lors are rich red,yellow

,and different shades of brown ,

which afford a pleasing effect e ither by natural or art ific ial

l ight .

M onaz ite i s a very rare m ineral , as the name ,“ to be sol i

tary,” indicates , though it has been found in several localities

Connecticut , New York, and North Carol ina—in th is coun

try, and in the Urals , Norway, and Colombia, South America .

I t s composit ion is very complex,including l ime and several

ac ids and oxides , while the colors are les s d ivers ifi ed , affording

hyacinth , yellowi sh , and clove - brown specimens . I t is no t

u sually classed with precious stones,though it is sometimes

used for gems .

Eac/zroiz‘e, meaning “ beaut iful color

,has been considered

a gem -mineral by some writers,probably on account of it s

transparency and bright green hue,but its softness renders i t

obj ectionable for j ewelry. I t resembles d ioptase, and is found

in Hungary.

Barite, heavy spar, developed in several local it ies in the

United States and in Europe, has been sometimes cal led

I t 18 white, frequently passmg into other“ Bologna stone .

’

colors,with high specific gravity

,but low in the scale of hard

nes s ; i t sometimes occurs in transparent crystal s of gigantic

s ize,and when cut and pol ished it affords a beautiful stone for

ornamental household articles .

Hematite —The name signifies “ blood , and the red

hematite i s supposed to be the bloodstone of Theophrastus ,

who says it seems to be concreted blood. Though it can



Agalmatolite, a name derived from“ image and pagoda

,

i s a variety of pinite , with colors inc l in ing to . gray,brown

,

green , and yellow. I t i s used by the Ch inese for carving

images, pagodas , and similar obj ects .

Several other minerals , in some of their variet ies,have

a doubtful rank among precious stones , as orang ite, so

called from its color,obtained at Nancy

,France r/zoa

’

oehrosite,

meaning “ rose color, found in Hungary and some other

European countries , and in certain local it ies in the United

States ; and crocoisite, written also croco ite , s ignifying“ saf

fron ,” affording specimens with different shades of hyacinth

red, discovered in Hungary and Siberia.

M ime/zin e. A furiou s war,says King, has been waged by

archaeologists about the real n ature of this substance, which

has been ident ified , with a good deal of assurance, with variou s

substances,as onyx, agate, Opal , fluor- spar, and porcelain .

Judging from the description of Pl iny, there are evidences that

i t was a natural , rather than an artificial , product ion ; th ough

Propert ius ment ions “ numerous vessels , baked on Parth ian

hearths ,” which are supposed to refer to those made of mur

rh ina.

’ Whatever may have been the nature of the material , i t

was, according to the Roman naturalist , great ly divers ified

in hues , and wreathed with vein s of purple and white,passing

into flame- color. I t was fi rst brought to Rome by Pompey,after his eastern conquest , when numerous murrhine vases and

cups , the spoil s of his victories , carried in h is triumphal proces

s ion , were dedicated to Jupiter Capitolinus.

Art icles made of th is substance brought fabulous price s ; a

s ingle cup was sold for seventy thousand sesterces , and a basin

for three hundred thousand ; while Nero paid one mill ion ses

t erces for a cup a deed well worthy ar emperor , the father of

h is country,satirically remarks th is writ sr. On e individual, of

L A E R A D OR LTE A N D OTLLE R GEM S . 343

c onsular rank , owned an innumerable collection of murrhine

vessel s,which , when seized by th is emperor, after the death of

the owner, fi l l ed a theatre in his palace garden beyond the

Tiber. As murrh ine must have been someth ing more durable

than porcelain , it i s reasonable to suppose that some of these

vessel s,either ent ire or in fragments, would be foun d in

ancient ruin s ; but the only art icles discovered answering the

descript ion are made of agate, which are so abundant as to

leave no doubt of their extens ive use in ancient Rome ; while

there are no fragments of fluor- spar ever known to have been

seen among the remains . The’

preponderan ce of evidence,

therefore , seems to be in favor o f agate .

Coral—As a substance empl oyed in art , coral has a veryhigh antiquity, having been a valuable art icl e of merchandise

w ith the ancient Tyrians , who imported it fromSyria , as statedby the prophet Ezekiel . I t was h ighly prized among the

G reeks , who consecrated it to Jupiter and Apol lo as one of

their richest,offerings . They had a tradit ion that it was

formed from the blood of Medusa, whose head Perseus hung on

a tree near the sea, when the coagulated drops , transferred

to the water by the nymphs,became coral . The name is from

Eoral/ion , s ignifying maiden daughter of the sea .

”

The true nature of the coral was not understood until dis

c overed by M . Peyson n el during the first part of the eighteenth

century. Previous to that event,contradictory and absurd

theories prevailed in regard to it s source and character.

Corals,l ike pearl s

,have an an imal origin . It must be

admitted that the precious coral,or that kind used in j ewelry,

has a long l ineal descent,having been derived from a single

species,if paleontologist s can be rel ied upon , the Corall ium

rubrum,fam ily S argo n idae, order A lcyon ia, class Actinozoa ,

sub-kingdom Coelenterata . The black coral belongs to another


o rder,the Zoantharia. Bes ides l ime , it s princ ipal const ituent

magnes ia,iron

,and organic matt er enter into it s c ompos i

t ion , but the exact nature of the coloriifg agent i s n o t

assured .

home of th e prec ious coral is the Mediterranean coast,

part icularly on the African shore , where it i s obtained with

great difficulty by means of nets and drags, the beds , in some

instances , being seven or eight hundred feet below the surface

o f the sea. The busines s is now princ ipal ly confined to Ital ian

and Maltese traders , although the French , as early as the mid

dle of the fifteenth century, were engaged in coral fi sheries .

The traffic carried on in th is commodity is said to be immense

vast quant ities are yearly exporte d to China,India

,and Persia

,

where it is extens ively employed for various obj ects . On e

house alone in Naples exported to Calcutta in a s ingle year

forty thousand dollars worth of coral , and the total annual

amount to India, from this c ity, was one mill i on dollars . I t is

used by the oriental s both for rel igious and secular purposes

the Brahmins employ it for rosaries , and the Japanese for

personal ornaments .

Coral i s a great favorite in Spain, Italy, and the West Indies,“

When employed for camei, the rough outs ide of the shell i s cut

away leaving the smooth ins ide for the beautiful background

on which the figures res t . The del icate pink coral i s preferred

to th e red, and affords a great variety of shades , one hundred,

according to Dieulafait, having been recognized at Marseilles

alone. This substance has been cons idered , and i s s t ill

bel ieved by the credulous, to be of great importance for amu

lets , in consequence of it s remarkable medic inal propert ies .

I t i s frequently imitated by bone , horn , and ivory, stained with

Cin nabar, and an art ificial art icle is manufactured from gypsum

and a kind of gum colored by certain pigments . The commer



sea, which resembles gum , and tells us that the Chinese gran

dees burned it at their feasts for perfumery, on account of the

agreeable odor it exhaled during combust ion . I t i s possible

th is travel ler may

/

have mistaken ambergris , a product , i t i s

supposed, of the sperm -whale,for amber.

I t i s conceded by modern scienti s t s that i t i s a fos s il resin

o r gum , derived from an ext inct species of pin e and other

plants , of the Tert iary period . Sir David Brewster establiskea’

the fact of i ts vegetable origin,which had been conceded

e ighteen centuries before h is t ime. That it was once a vi s

c ous fluid is proved by the insect s and plan t s imprisoned in

the substance . There have been found,on e hundred and

sixty- three species of insects entombed in amber, many of

them identical with those of the present da; while the plants

are different from the vegetation now found in the region s in

which it occurs . I t i s very soft and l ight , and poss esses a

remarkable negat ive - electrical property ; i t i s transparent to

t ranslucent , and affords yellow,reddish , and whit ish variet ies .

The Balt ic,the Urals , Switzerland , France, En gland , Sicily,

and some other places of Europe, yield th is substance ; i t

a l so occurs in several local it ies in the United States, espe

c ially in Massachusett s and New Jersey, but in small quant i

t ies. A large part of th e amber of modern t imes is obtained

from the Pruss ian Balt ic , where the government protect s the

mOiiOpoly of th e trade with very stringent laws . The yellow

amber of Dan tz ic , it i s es t imated , yields from fifty thousand to

e ighty thousand francs annually ; even in Tavernier’s day i t

was farmed out by the Elector of Brandenburg for more than

twenty thousand crowns a year. Somet imes it i s found in

large masses ; Pliny mentions a specimen at Rome weighing

th irteen pounds,and th ere is o n e in Berl in wh ich weighs eigh

t een poun ds . M r. King speaks o f an elastic amber ring

L A E R AD OR LTE A N D OTHER GEM S . 347

brought from Egypt ; th is substance, boiled in turpent ine , can

be reduced to paste and moulded into any form des ired,and it

i s poss ible the Egyptian ring may have acquired its elasticityx

by a s imilar process .

The Greeks and Romans held amber in h igh reput e for

personal ornaments , on account of it s beaut iful color. Great

quant it ies were introduced into .Rome during the reign of the

Emperor Nero, which were obtained from the German tribes .

This despot,in some verses written by himself, called the hair

o f his wife amber- co lored directly red hair became then , as it

would now under s imilar circumstances , al l the rage among the

ladies of the imperial court and numerous were the devices to

secure the fash ionable color.

S hakspeare , as wel l as later writers , al ludes to amber orna

ments , which appear to have been the general favori te in Eng

land at one time. Yellow variet ies , cut in facets , have been

prized for bracelets and necklaces , and are now employed in

some countries for beads . In the East they are often inlaid

with gold and precious stones .

f ez. —Though j et , l ike amber, i s of vegetable origin , and

not a precious stone, or a stone at all , yet i t is used for

personal adornment , and has been ranked among the inferior

gems . I t is a decomposit ion o f resinous vegetation,found

with l ignite or brown coal , of a lustrous velvet - black color, and

c apable of a beaut iful pol ish , very soft and light , having a hard

ness of only on e and on e-half in the scale. I t is the g argalos

o f the ancients , named , says Pliny, from Garges , a place and

river in Lycia , As ia Minor ; or i t may have been for Garges in

Syria, s ince l ignite i s very abundant in that country. It i s

described as black,smooth , l ight , and combustible—qual it ies

belonging to j et,and was employed for j ewelry in ancient

R ome, as it is at , the present day in many countries . The


early Britons had a predilect ion for j et , as is proved by numer

ous rel ics found in th e I sland of Great Britain . A set of

j ewelry made of this substance , and supposed to have belonged

to a priestes s of Cybele,was discovered in a stone coffin in on e

of the churches of Cologne , during repairs made in 1846.

Aude, in France, and Whitby, in England, are celebrated for

their productions in this art ic le . I t i s found at Whitby in the

upper l ias shale, and on the shores , where it i s washed up by

the sea after a storm , and col lected by the nat ives with great

labor. I t occurs on the Bal t ic w ith amber, and is sometimes

called black amber . I t i s a production of the United States ,

and some of the best specimens are said to come from

Colorado .

I t seems incredible that a material for j ewelry so in expen

s ive and abundant . should be counterfeited,yet great quant it ies

of manufactured j et are sold in Spain and Turkey. There is

evidence that many intagl i cut in thi s substance and sold for

antiques are recent forgeries .



kinds under three heads : first, Vitreous quartz, compris ingcrystal , amethyst, citrine, cairngorm ,

iris,rubasse

,aventurine

,

and prase ; second , Chalcedonyx, including carnel ian , chal

cedony, sardonyx , sard , onyx, nico lo , plasma, hel iotrope, agate,mocha- stone ( a variety of agate) , cat

’s - eye,and chrysoprase ;

the third division , called Jasper- quartz, embrace s bloodstone

(differing from heliotrope) , j asper, Egyptian pebbles , and por

cellan ite . King p laces ave nturine with the j asper series .

Yel low quartz is sometimes call ed Scotch topaz,and Bohe

mian topaz, and the rose, Brazil ian ruby, occas ional ly sold for

spinel the blue variety has frequently passed for water- sap

phire , while specimens of brownish red are kn own as hyacinth

of Compostella, and when impregnated with bituminous sub

stances they are denominated smoky quartz, cairngorm , and

Alencon diamonds .

R ook-crystal, or hyal in quartz, i s the pures t form of th i s

m ineral known among lapidaries,and is recognized by various

n ames,as Bristol, Welsh , Irish , Cornish , and Cal ifornia dia

monds , and somet imes it is employed in j ewelry under the

t itle of “ whit e ston e .

” I t received the appellat ion of crys tal

from the nat ions of ant iquity, who supposed i t was

formed by the exces s ive congelat ion of water, such as could be

found only in the co ldest region s . Claudianus , on e of their

writers , calls it i ce hardened into st one , wh ich no frost could

congeal nor dog- star dry up . Orpheus poetical ly call s the crys

tal “ the t ranslucent image of the Eternal Light , and suggest s

it s use as a burning-glas s to l ight the sacrificial flame . The

East Indian bel ieves i t to be the mother or husk of the

diamond .

The cavit ies frequently found in rock- crystal s are sometimes

filled with a fluid or gas which has given ri se to some specula

t ion ; mos t scientists have thought it was water, but the

THE (2UA R TZ EA M LL Y. 351

experiments of Sir David Brewster led h im to the opin ion that

the c ontents of these occupied cells consisted of an oleaginous

substance.°

Whether the water or other matter was enclosed

at the t ime of the formation of the crystal, or was afterwards

infilt rated through it s pores , i s st i l l a subj ect of dispute.

When th is min eral encloses very small fibres or slender prisms

of rut ile , oxide of t itanium , or other substance, i t is denominated

Cupid ’s nets , Love’s arrows

,Venus ’ hair

,and other fantast ic

names , and when it contains fibrous asbestos , i t forms a variety

called cat ’s - eye .

Vessels made of rock- crystal were highly valued by the

Romans , for which they often paid enormous sums ; for exam

ple,it is on record that a certain householder of ordinary

means gave s ix thousand dollars for a crystal basin . The dif

feren t museums of Europe comprise valuable col lect ions of

crystal cups,vases , and other art icles , showing its extensive

use in early t imes for such purposes but few intagl i of great

age are found in this variety, though the Renaissance artist s

frequently employed it for engraving. I t i s shown by the

inventory made in Paris in 179 1 that the crown j ewels com

prised crystal goblets , vases , or other vessels , some of them

being beaut ifully engraved , and were valued altogether at one

mill ion francs . On e urn , measuring n ine and on e half inches

in diameter,and nine in height , was engraved on the upper

part with the figure of Noah asleep after his intoxication .

The royal theatre of Sans Souci was l ighted by a large chan

delier made entirely of rock- crystal .

On account of a superstit ious bel ief that crystal was incapa

ble of holding poison,it became a favorite material for cups

and goblet s,especially to the ancient Romans . Nero is said

to have possessed some magnificent cups of th is kind , engraved

with subj ects from the Il iad ; he is charged with breaking, in

3 52 P R E CLOUS S TON E S .

a fi t of anger, two crystal gob lets which cost nearly two

thousand dollars .

Globes made of th is variety of quartz were bel ieved,in the

M iddle Ages, t o have great magical powers , and were used for

that purpose by Dr. Dee, a somewhat famous English astrolo

g er of the s ixteenth century. Rock- crystal i s employed at the

present day, not only for gem- stones , but also for lenses , polari

scopes , and obj ect-glasses for telescopes ; i t const itutes a very

s ucce ssful im itat ion of the diamond , and when art ificially col

o red, passes for the ruby, sapphire , and other precious stones .‘

The method o f coloring is by plunging the heated crystal in a

t incture of cochineal , or some other pigment, according to the

hue des ired, o r by soakin g it for some month s in spir it s of tur

p ent ine , saturated with some metall ic oxide . The same result

i s secured by paint ing the back of the stone when set for

jewelry. Some of the crystal intagl i of the Renaissance

are set with the engraved side downwards upon gold o r

.azure foil , producing the effect of making the figures appear

.as if cut in relief upon the plain surface of a topaz or a

sapph ire . Rock - crystal art ificially colored green , pink, and

o ther t ints , i s often sold for beads in Switzerland and

Germany.

Specimens of hyalin quartz of gigantic s ize are numerous ,

a nd may be seen in nearly all the museum s of the world . The

larges t known to Pl iny, which was consecrated by Julia A u

g usta as a sacred offering in the Capitol , weighed on e hun dred

and fifty pounds ; a specimen in the Jardin des Plantes , at

Paris,weighs eight hundred pounds a group in the museum of

th e Universi ty of Naples reaches n early a ton ; and another

mass,ment ioned by Dana , yields a weight of eigh t hundred

a nd severity pounds . Remarkable crystal s from Brazil and

Japan were exhibited at the French Exposit ion in 1866 , and at



pol ish , the amethyst once held a h igh rank as a decorat ive

stone,perhaps next to the sapph ire ; but for the reason of the

large importat ion s from Brazil , i ts popularity decl ined in Eu

rope,consequently its commercial value decl ined in correspond

ing rat io . As an illustrat ion of th is depreciat ion , i t i s s tated,

on competent authority, that a necklace of amethysts formerly

valued at ten thousand dollars would n ot now command as

many sh il l ings . Most of the stones are cut in Germany, and

appear to the best advantage as brill iants with a rounded

table . They harmonize well with gold , diamonds , and pearl s ,

but do not make an attractive even ing ornament . I t is the

only one considered appropriate for mourn ing,and one“ of the

gems most suitable for sacerdotal use .

Of all the quartz variet ies the amethyst has been , probably,

the most highly valued and the mos t frequently used for the

art of engraving, in al l periods , but ancient intagli , of al l

dates and in every style of work, occur almost invariably on

the l ight - colored specimens , so that an engraving on a dark

shade, says King, may be suspected as modern . Many Egypt ian and Etruscan scarabei were on th is variety of quartz.

Among engraved amethysts of note was the gem bearing the

l ikeness of the Emperor Traj an , which fel l into the hands of

Napo leon during his invasion of Prussia ; a bust of Antonia,

th e daughter of Mark Antony ; the head of a Syrian king, in

the Pulsky co l lect ion ; and an engraving by Dioscorides , in the

Nat ional Library of Paris . Three superb oriental amethysts

are mentioned in the inventory of th e crown j ewels of France ,

and a rare spec imen , with bright red spots , or clouds, n ow

belongs to th e French col lect ion .

Quartz amethysts are found in nearly every country, though

Brazil,undoubtedly, yields the largest quantit ies , and like

those from Siberia, they are frequently of gigant ic s ize.

THE QUA R TZ FA M IL Y. 355

Very beaut ifu l examples are known to occur in the environs of

Carthagena, Spain ; but India, and notably the Island of Ceylon

,afford t he best crystals . I t is abundant in large masses in

the Un ited States , several local it ies furnish ing excellent spec i

mens for cabinet use.

Agate.

- Tliis stone , says Mr. Streeter, does not strictly

belong to mineralogy, which deal s with s imple minerals . I t is a

conglomerate of certain quartz variet ies , which , in color, tex

ture, and t ranslucency, are d iverse , on e from the other, as chal

cedony, carnel ian , j asper, and some others . When two or more

of these precious stones form a cohes ive mass and are arranged

in stripes and spots , the combinat ion is called agate. Some

writers represent the agate as forming a group of gem -minerals,

including nearly al l the quartz variet ies , a class ificat ion n ot

general ly adopted . In composit ion , i t consist s of ninety- eight

per cent of s il ica ; it s different colors are supposed to be due

to the presence of iron , manganese, bitumen , and chlorite.

The beauty of the agate depends chiefly upon the character of

the alternate layers of chalcedony and other varieties of quartz,

of which it i s composed , whether they are translucent , brill iant ,of fine color, and capable of high poli§h .

Agates,in their nat ive state, are frequently found in the

cavit ie s of igneous rocks caused by the escape of gas or steam ,

it i s conj ectured,when these rocks were in a fluid state .

These cavit ie s were subsequently fi l led with s il ica or some

other m ineral substance held in solut ion and deposited on the

interior walls of these receptac les , thus often forming a kind of

geode . These balls are sometimes furn ished with a smal l

funnel through which the s il icious matter penetrated .

There are numerous variet ies , dependent upon the arrange

ment o f the layers or other inc idental causes : as , when the

stone presents del icate parallel l ines of l ight and dark tints , i t


i s called banded, or riOOoa agate ; when the colors are sharply

defined, i t i s onyx -agate ; when the s tripes converge towards a

centre, i t i s eye- ag ate ; if d ivers colors are displayed , it becomes

iris or rainbow -aga te ; when it has the semblance of moss eu

clos ed, it is moelia -stozze or moss-aga te ; and dendritic, when

fol iage and trees are s imulated, though moss - agate and den

dritic are generally classed as on e variety. These vegetable

representat ions are supposed to have been produced in water

by some metall ic particles , such as iron and manganese ; they

generally occur on a red, brown , or black ground of chalcedony

o r sapphirine . The name mocha -ston e i s derived from Mocha ,

in Arabia, where it was found . There are other variet ies ,

which are known by the n ames of jasper-agate, wood-ag a te

(wood petrified by agate) , z ma’ala ta or z on e-agate, and brecci

atea’

agate. What are called Siena agates , seen in the Flor

ence gal lery,present a dark ground divers ified with white,

gray,brown ,

and yellow clouds .

The best specimens of agat es are brought from India, and

the second in qual ity are from Uruguay and Brazil ; those

found at Brighton , England , the Is l e of Wight, - Chamoun ix,

and Niagara,are really the same in kind as the Indian and

Brazil ian,but differ from them by being water-worn . They

are plentiful in the United States ; one of the most n oted

l ocalit ie s for th i s gem is at Agate Bay, Lake Superior , where

small,red

,banded spec imens are found , while large and beauti

ful agates have been discovered in the Rocky Mountains and

in Colorado . The col lect ion sent from that State to the New

O rleans Expos it ion included many fine variet ies . Of all

American gems,the moss - agates are the most abundant and

the cheapest ; those found in streams, cal led“ river- agates ,

are considered the best . They are nearly al l sent abroad for

cutting.


358 P R E CLOUS S TON ES .

berry H il l collection , with a woman in profile ; and an other

with the l ikeness of Vol taire. T he most celebrated agate vase

known was the two -handled cup engraved with bacchanal ian

subj ect s, and presented by Charles the Bald of France, in the

n inth century, to the Abbey of St . Denis , and was used to hold

the Wine at the coronation of the French kings . This cup has

been , by some mistake , regarded as the gift of Charles the

Bold, Duke of Burgundy, of a later period . At the sack of

Delhi , the Engl ish soldiers , with that natural love o f destruc

t ion ,”writes King, “ which characterizes John Bull

,smashed

several chests of el egant agate cups .”

The agate was prized as an ornamental stone by the Greeks

and Romans , and has always been a favorite material for

engraving ; the Italo -Greek art is ts preferred the banded agate

for this purpose . On e of the largest and finest spec imens o f

engraving on th is gem represented the portrait of Alexander

the Great . The ancien t name of th is variety of quartz was

ae/za tes, from a river in Sic ily where it was obtained . Pliny

says the variet ieswere numerous , recognized by some distin ct ive feature , as wax-agate , smaragdus o r green , blood , white ,

j asper,t ree

,undulated , corall ine , and others .

Onyx . This name is applied to a precious stone ment ioned

in the sacred writings , but it is not beyond doubt whether it

m ight not have been a d ifferent gem from the modern onyx.

The word s ignifies “ finger-nail , given by the Greeks , who

accounted for it s origin in the fol lowing manner While Venus

was repos ing in s lumber on the banks of the Indus , Cupid ,

e ither from wanton sport or fi l ial respect, cut her finger- nail s

with h is arrows,and the parings , fall ing into the river, were

converted into onyx. This myth indicates that the source of

supply to the nat ions of ant iquity was in oriental countries .

The onyx and the agate are s im ilar, but unl ike in the color

THE QUA R TZ P A M LL Y. 359

and arrangement of the layers : in the former,the different

z ones are parallel, while in the latter they are concentri c, and

somet imes the colors of the agat e are disposed in the form of

i rregular clouds , veins , and spots , quite unl ike those of the onyx.

Alternat ions of l igh t and dark chalcedony affo the specimens

so much used in camci . The common variety of onyx has two

Opaque layers , of different colors , as black and white, dark red

and white , green and white , and some other combinations , but

the most frequent i s blackish or brownish striped with white .

Some lapidaries cons ider th e oriental variety superior to the

o ccidental in several points that i t has a finer,closer texture

that i t is harder, consequently receives a finer polish that i t i s

semi- transparent , and incapable of being artificially colored ;but Emanuel th inks there i s no essential difference between

the Indian and the German . The oriental onyx has three

layers : the upper, red , blue, or brown ; the m iddle, white or

pearly ; and the lower, black or brown . The common variety is

frequently colored art ific ially, to imitate the Indian the

method of coloring i s s im ilar to that employed for agates,

different chemical substan ces being added according to the

t ints re quired .

The onyx i s occas ionally found in so large masses that

small p il lars are cut from it ; s ix of these occur in St . Peter’s

Church at Rome,and o n e i s seen in the Temple of the Magi at

Cologne . Pl iny mentions thirty columns of large size in the

banquet -hall of Callistus.

This gem was a favorite material with the ancients , whoobtained it from Arabia and Persia, for cups and vases, frag

ments of wh ich have been found in Roman remains . In their

wars with Mithridates,the Romans carried off

, as spoil s of

their victories,two thousand cups made of th is stone , which

had belonged to the vanquished king. On e of the most cele


brated antiques of the kind is the Mantuan Vase , seven inches

h igh and two and one -half broad, cut from a single specimen ,which offered to the lapidary a ground of a brown colo r for

his rel iefs of white and yellow figures represen t in g Ceres and

Triptolemus in search of Proserp ine . Interest ing examples

of engraving on onyx are seen in the Vat ican Library, at

the Museum of Naples, at Venice , in the Nat ional Library of

Paris, and in several other collect ions . The Dresden Museum

contain s a large specimen , measuring s ix and two - th irds inches

by four and on e- fourth,and the Austrian collect ion comprises

o n e nine inches in diameter,thought to be the largest known

among collectors .

S am’omm—This variety of quartz i s a comb inat ion o f the

sard and the onyx,as the name impl ies . The Indian variety

cons ists of a white,Opaque layer superimposed upon a red ,

translucent zone of true sard ; while the Arab ian comprises n o

sard , but is formed of black and blue st rata covered by on e of

Opaque white, above which l ies a th ird , of vermil ion hue .

This gem was first worn at Rome by Africanus the Elder,

when it became very fash ionable, and , with the emerald , con

st ituted the favorite ornamental stone of th e Emperor Clau

din s . It has been employed for gem - engraving and for camei,

and when used for the latter, th e red layer forms the ground

and the white band the figures ; and if a th ird color, of milkywhite , occurs , as is sometimes the case , i t serves for hair. A

stone resembl ing the sardonyx,

it may be the eyed - onyx, or

agate,— having a round spot in the centre , affords the j ewel

lers an Opportun ity of introducing gold foil into a cavity made

beneath,—an operat ion which imparts to the gem a remarka

ble brill iancy .

N icola —Th is name , an abbreviation of Oizieo/O (“ l ittle

o nyx ”) is appl ied both to a natural product ion and an art ificia l



Carn elian i s thought to correspond to the sardion of Theo

phrastus and the sara’a of Pl iny, who says the name was

derived from Sardis , where i t was found . The etymol ogy of

c arnel ian i s doubtful , having been referred to earo (“ flesh

t o eorn zt to Caria ( a province in Asia Minor ) , to an

Arabic word s ignifying yellow, and to a Hebrew name for red .

There is no doubt the term is an epithet denot ing color, which

v aries from blood- red to wax-yellow or brown , and i s capable of

being intensified by heat . The b l ood - red holds the highest

rank, and the pal e red i s next in value for ornamental stones .

I t receives a fine po l i sh and forms one of the most desirable of

the quartz gems ; but , in consequence of large importations from

Brazil, and the extens ive bus ines s of art ific ial coloring, their

c ommercial value has great ly depreciated,and their use for

jewelry i s much less than formerly, except in some countries ,more especial ly in Germany and Poland

,where they st il l hold

an important rank .

The carnel ian—sarda -was valued by the ancient s more

h igh ly than the sapphire , and was used more generally for

o rnament than any other precious stone, and none , says Pl iny,

played so conspicuous a part in the comedies of Menander and

Philemon . I t was very gen erally employed in class ic art for

c amei and engraving ; the oldest of these remainsare fo’

und in

G ermany. A carnel ian with the portrait of Sextu s Pompeius

i s in the Berl in collect ion ; on e engraved with Helen is in

V ienna ; another, with the head o f Apollo , i s in Florence ;

w h ile St . Petersburg claims an an t ique on thi s gem , and the

Brit ish Museum contains a specimen of fine workmansh ip in

t he form of a butterfly .

S ara’ has been ident ified with carnel ian , and so closely

resembles it as hardly to require a part icular descript ion ; i t

m ay be classed as reddish brown and yellowish red variet ies of

THE QUA R TZ FAM IL Y. 363

chalcedony, the latter being styled oriental carn el ian . Though

Pliny derives the name from Sardis , others have referred it to

z era’

, a Pers ian word for yellow. The grades in t in t seen in

antique specimens are numerous . Sards from India were of

very fine qual ity , but those from the neighborhood of Babylon

were esteemed by the nat ions of antiquity of very great value.

Cfirysoprase,“ golden leek, i s an opaque

,apple-green

chalcedony, colored by the oxide of n ickel , and supposed to

have been the prase of the ancients . I t d iffers from plasma

in vividness of t int,hardness , and opacity, and, though equal

t o the emerald in hue,i t fall s below i t i n lustre, and has the

misfortune to lose it s color when exposed to heat and sun sh ine ,

which , however, may be restored by immers ion in a solution

o f n itrate of n ickel .

This prec ious stone, on account of it s capac ity for pol ish and

its agreeable color,once maintained an important position as a

gem , and is st il l used for j ewelry, to a cons iderable extent , on

the continent of Europe I t was frequently employed by the

Greeks and Romans for intagl i and camei, and i s found in

ant ique j ewelry, particularly of Egyptian workmanship,set

with lapis - lazuli . Existing in large masses , i t has served the

purposes of interior architectural decorat ion , as may be seen in

the mosaic wall s of St . Wenzel ’s Chapel , in the Cathedral of

Prague, built in the fourteenth century. I t was used by Fred

e rick the Great to adorn Sans Souci,and the Old Palace at

Potsdam in the latter building are seen two tab les three feet

long, two broad , and two inches th ick , made of chrysoprase .

The variety obtained from Siles ia has long been celebrated as

a decorat ive stone,and is frequently met with in that capacity.

P lasma i s a t ranslucent variety of chalcedonyx quartz, of

bright green to leek -green,and resembles both prase and

chrysoprase,yet const itutes a gem - stone dist inct from both .


The ground color, due to some metall i c ox ide, i s sometimes

sprinkled with m inute white or yellowish specks of some

foreign substance . The name s ignifies “ image,

” o r anyth ing

formed or im itated. I t i s found in ancien t ruins , but it was

not used for anc ient engraving, i t i s bel ieved, before the later

Roman Empire.

Ca t’

s-eye.

* This prec ious stone exhibits a pecu l iar Opal

escen ce, caused by fibres of asbestos running parallel across

the stone . I t is usually translucent , somet imes transparent ,

and displays red , blackish , yellowish green , and brown co lors .

This name has been given to d ifferen t minerals presentingth ese pecul iarit ies , const itut ing variet ie s of chrysoberyl , crocid

ol ite,sapphire, and perhaps some others , as well as quartz .

The chrysoberyl cat ’s - eye i s a much more beaut i ful gem than

the quartz vari ety, and i s superior to i t in hardnes s and specific

gravity . The largest spec imen o f cat ’s - eye known belongs to

th is spec ies,and was formerly owned by the Kin g of Kandy,

Ceylon,but is now in the colle ct ion of the South Kensington

Museum .

Class ic writ ers called th is precious stone “ wolf’s - eye, and

also ocnlns belas, because it was ded icated to the Assyrian god

Belus .Heliotrope, or Bloodston e.

—There i s no harmony betweenthe names of th is gem , and some writers make them dist inct

variet ies . WestrOpp adopts this class ificat ion and call s h el io

trope a translucent,green chalcedony or plasma, with blood - red

spots,whil e the bloodstone h e denominates a green jasper,

interspersed with specks of a red color ; but Dana says there

i s no essent ial difference between hel iotrope and bloodstone .

N o less than ten differen t min erals afford the cat’s- eye rays when cut in

certain directio n s, so that the n ame is more appropriate to den o te a particularm ethod o f cutting than a n atural variety or species.



powdered glass , protoxide of copper, and oxide of iron , heated

for s everal hours . Quartz aventurine is a semi - transparent ,

brown , gray, reddish white or greenish wh ite variety, interspersed

with spanglesof yellow mica,which gl it ter l ike gold

,and , as i t

rece ives a high pol ish,i t constitutes an attract ive ornamental

s tone. I t is found on the shores of the White Sea, in Siberia,

Bohemia, Switzerland , France , Spain , and Scotland , wh il e

India produces a beautiful green variety.

j asper.—The numerous varieties of th is stone have given rise

to different opin ions about i t , which renders a descript ion and

c lass ification difficult . The word , derived from iaspis, has been

rendered “ green ,” “ fi rm

,

”o r

“ tough .

” Pl iny counts fourteen

kinds of the iaspis, o n e being l ike crystal , which corresponds

to the Scripture account of th e j asper, on e of the stones of the

N ew Jerusalem , but does not answer to any variety known to

us . The Indian green j asper o f antiquity appears to have been

a plasma of a rare kind,approach ing the emerald in color, and

it i s poss ible their emerald was green j asper. The modern

j asper is a compact variety o f quartz, o f various colors , compris

ing green,yellow

,numerous shades of red , blue , and black ,

while amon g antique specimens are found vermil ion and crim

son hues . King considers the red j asper the bloodstone of the

anc ients .

The Egyptian j asper,characterized by intense red or ochre

yellow tints , deepening into chestnut -brown , sometimes spotted

with black , was found near Cairo , and in the region of the Nile ,

and was extensively used in ancient art . What are known as

Egypt ian pebbles are composed of j asper, which frequently

present an arborescent appearance. Red j asper was developed

in Argos,Greece , and was a favorite with Roman engravers ;

while the Greeks preferred the yel low, also a native of their

country, for art ist ic uses . A green , semi- transparent variety

THE QUA R TZ P A M LL Y. 367

was more highly valued among the Romans , for engraving, than

even the Greek red j asper, of which they made so free use.

Vermil ion jasper is s een only in ant ique work,but the

source of supply i s unknown to us a white variety, resemblingivory

,i s said to be exceedingly rare .

European variet ies display different greens variegated with

other colors ; that found in England is entirely green , or

green spotted with red , flesh - color, or white . A kind called

ribbon - j asper,or onyx- j asper

,occurring in Saxony and Siles ia, i s

made up of alternate bands or layers , usually red and green ,

sometimes purple and white ; and when it unites a number of

colors,it i s known as universal j asper. If agate and j asper

are combined in the same specimens,they are agate- j asper or

j asper- agate , according to the predominance o f the on e or th e

other. The Barga j asper, seen in the Florence Museum , i s a

very dark red, or reddish brown,and white stone , and the

Cors ican jasper, found in the same collect ion , exhibits rich green ,

purple , and gray tint s . The “ Pebbles of Rennes,

” mentioned

by Hauy, are composed of agate and j asper of a very deep red

ground interspersed with smal l round or oval spots of reddish

o r yellowish white , and were used for ornamental boxes and

other similar work. The Arabian j asper i s celebrated for the

splendid dyes it affords . The red variet ies are colored with

peroxide of i ron , the yellow and brown with hydrate of iron ,

and the green by chromate of iron .

The j asper was a favori te material for engraving and was

very early used for that purpose,as we learn from the fi rst

breastplate made for the high priest of the Israel ites , which

contained an engraved j asper. Some fine portraits of th e

Roman emperors were cut on th i s prec ious stone, including a

l ikeness of Nero , on a specimen weighing fifteen ounces . The

head of Minerva on j asper, belonging to the Vatican collect ion,

A

3 68 P R E CLOUS S TON ES .

is considered the fines t intagl io in existence ; a high encomium ,

s ince there are so many examples of th is kind of engraving of

remarkable excellence . Jasper is used for the imperial seal o f

China, and has‘ been employed in different countrie s for

jewelry and ornamental art icles of various kinds . In the

Vatican Museum , there are two vases of remarkably beautiful

jasper, one made of a bright redi

variety crossed with white“veins , and the other black ret iculated with fine yellow lines .

The poets have found this prec ious stone a suitable theme

f or their muse . O rpheus , in h is Lithika,” says

Ful l o ft its hues the jasper’s green disp lays,The emerald’s light, the b lo o d-red sardion

’s b laze,

S ometimes vermilio n , o ft ’tis o verspread

With the dul l copper, or the app le-red.

P rase, P lasma , and C/ziysoprase are al l green variet ies of

quartz , and are l iabl e to be confounded, though the shades of

hue are different . The prase is of a dull leek-green color, and‘

has l i ttle value as a gem - stone the name, fromprason , s ignifies“ a leek,

” given in allusion to it s hue.

Iris. Jewellers give this name to a transparent, crystal

line variety of quartz which reflects the hues of the rainbow,

a n effect due to the flaws and crevices in the interi or of the

:stone. This pecul iarity may be secured by an art ific ial process ,

e ither by dropping th e crys tals suddenly into boil ing water, or

by first heat ing them and then plunging them into cold water.

WestrOpp mention s a variety with rose- colored seams , which

h e calls “ rubasse,” a substance generally produced by art .

The iris was regarded with great favor in ancient and medi

aeval t imes,and even as late as Napoleon ’s day : th e Empress

Joseph ine possessed an elegant set of ornaments of remarkable

fire and brill iancy, made o f th is variety of quartz .

N ovaenlz’

te, a pure whit e quartz , developed atHo t Springs ,


370 P R E CLOUS S TON ES .

agents employed, whether water holding in solut ion certain

mineral substances,or gases

, or s ome erupt ive phenomenon , are

questions which , probably, would divide scient ist s ; but, what

ever were the condi t ions necessary for such a result, the exis

tence of these marvel s cannot be ques t ioned, and they are

calculated to excite the wonder and admirat ion of every on e

who examines them . The exh ib i t ion of th is marvellous pro

duct ion at th e N ew O rleans Expos it ion formed on e of it s most

i nterest ing features, as i t was one of the most novel . The

exh ibit included several tons of gems , in th e condit ion of t runks

of trees , varying in length and diameter, and combining a great

variety of colors,represent ing a conglomerate of d ifferent pre

cious stones , wh ich were cut and po l i shed under the eye of the

spectator.The mosaics for tables and other ornamental art i

cles afforded a remarkably fin e select ion for producing a

beautiful harmony o f colors.

AP P E N D I X A.

S IZE OF THE LARGEST A N D THE M O ST REMARKABLE DIAM ONDS KNOWN , A S

ESTIMATED BY DIFFERENT WRITERS , RANKED A S THEY AT PRESENT EXIST,E ITHER CU T O R IN THE IR NAT IVE STATE .

Carats, cut.

M ore than 1000 carats

Bragan za, o r the King o f P ortugal ’s (its gen uin en ess doubted)

Between 300and 400 carats

M atan

N izam

Between 200 and carats

S tewart .

Great M ogul (lost)Du To it

Great TableGo lcon daP ortuguese R egen tJagersfon tein

Between 100and 200 carats

Orloff 193 194}Darya- i-N fir (Sea ofLight) .

P orter- R ho desTurkey I .

Tay-e M ah (Crown of theMoon ) 146 “ 168

A ustrian Ye llow, or Floren tin e Bril lian tA bbas M urza , or Jehun Ghir S hahPitt, or R egen tM oun tain o f Sp len dorTiffan y N o . 1

S tar o f the S outh


Carats,un cut. Carats, cut .

Du Toit I I .

P atrochin o

M o on of the M o un tainsA frican Ye l lowS tar of Diamon ds 10795

Cen t S ix

KOh- i-n o or 193 (I st cut)1023 1064} (2d cut)

104 (n early )

Between 75 and 100carats

A hmedabadChapadaS hahTurkey I I .

ThroneN assack

Tiffany N o . 2 (canary co lor)English Dresden

Between 25 and 75 carats

A kbah S hahS hah Jehan unkn ownS tar of S arawakR ussian TableM ascaren has I .

S ea of G loryTen n an t

Coulour 631} 493

M ascaren has I I .

A sco t Brillian tsS avoyPear

Great S an cyTavern ier A . B. C.

Eugen ieQueen of the BelgiansBan ian

Bavarian


A P P E N D I X B.

CLASS IFICATION OF PRECIOU S STONES ACCORDING TO THEIR PRINCIPAL CON

ST ITU EN TS .

Carbon (pure)A lumina (nearly pure)

A lumina, water

A lumin a, magnesia, iron

A lumin a, glucina

S ilica, alumina, glucina

S ilica, alumina, magnesia, iron ,lime , manganese '

S ilica, alumina, fluorine

S ilica, magnesia, iron

S ilica, alumina, lime, magnesia

S ilica alumina ma esia irongn Hypersthen e .l ime

S ilica, lime, magn esia, iron

S ilica, alumina, magnesia, iron

S ilica, alumina, glucina, water

S ilica, alumina, iron

S ilica, zinc

Diamond.

Precious corundum (or sapphire) , ruby, o rien talemerald, orien tal topaz , orien tal amethyst, orien tal aquamarin e, asteria (or star-ruby) , star

sapphire, giraso l .

Diaspore.

S pine l , balas, rubicelle, almandine, ceylonite.

Chrysoberyl (or orien tal chryso lite) , cymophane,alexan drite, cat’s-eye.

Beryl , emerald (occiden tal), aquamarine.

Garn et, carbun cle, alman dite (or alman dine) , pyrope, esson ite (or cinnamon - ston e) , seriam ,

uwarowite, asteria (or star-garn et) , vermeil le(or hyacin th-garn et) , bobrowska (n ot beyon ddoubt) , grossularite, melan ite .

Topaz (o cciden tal) , Brazilian sapphire (or bluetopaz) , gouttes d’eau .

Chryso lite, peridot, o livine.

V esuvian ite , or idocrase, hyacin th, cyprine.

Diopside (pyroxene) .

Io lite, or dichroite (sometimes cal led sapphire

d’eau) .

Euclase.

Chiasto lite (macle) .

Willemite.

374

A P P EN D IX B . 375

S ilica, alumina, magn esia, lime,iron water

Jade, or n ephrite.0 0 o o

S ilica , alumina, water, potash ,A galmato lite.

etc.

S il ica, alum ina, l ime, iron , manA xin ite.

S ilica, lime , magn esia, iron Cro cido lite, called also blue asbestos.

S ilica, water . Opal , hydrophane, hyalite, cachelong, giraso l ,moss- opal .

S ilica, copper, water Dioptase.

Tourmalin e , rubel lite, indico lite, achro ite, aphrizite , perido t of Brazil , perido t of Ceylon , Bra

zilian emerald, Brazilian ruby, Brazilian sap

phire.

S ilica, alumin a, magn esia, boron ,

fluorin e, soda, potash , iron ,

lime, etc .

S ilica, zircon ia Zircon , hyacin th , jacin th , jargo on .

M oon sto n e (orthoclase) , sunston e (o ligoclase),Amazon - ston e, aven turine, adularia, elaeo lite(n ephelite) .

S ilica, alumina, potash, soda,lime , etc.

S ilica, soda, lime, sulphur Lapis- lazuli.

S ilica, magnesia, fluorine, iron Chondrodite.

S ilica, alumin a, lime , soda, potLabradorite.

ash , iron

S ilica, alumin a Kyan ite.

‘

S ilica, alumin a, lithia S podumen e, hiddenite (or lithia-emerald) .

S ilica, alumin a, iron , lime, water,

soda Chlorastro l ite.

S ilica, alumin a, lime, iron , etc. Epido te.

S ilica, alumina, potash , lithia, etc . L epido lite .

S ilica, glucin a Phen akite.

S ilica alumina lime soda ironZon ochlorite.

water

:S ilica , magn esia, iron , water S erpen tin e, bowenite, williamsite.

S ilica , alumin a, potash Obsidian (orthoclase) .

S ilica, alumin a, lime , soda, water, Thomson ite.

S ilica, magn esia, iron , water S teatite.

S ilica, magn esia R hodon ite.

S ilica, lime, po tash, some fluorine

A pophyllite.


S ilica, titan ic acid, lime

S ilica (pure)*

A rsen ic acid, copper, water

P hosphoric acid , alumina, cop

per, iron

M om e

S ulphuric acid , lime, water S elen ite.

S u lphuric acid, baryta Barite.

Carbon ic acid, manganese R hodochrosite.

Carbon ic acid, lime Calcite, pearl with organic matter.

Chromic acid, lead Cro coite, or cro coisite.

Fluorin e, lime Fluorite .

Titan ic acid, iron R utile, o ctahedrite.

L ime , sulphuric acid V u lpin ite .

M etallic min erals, iron -bearin g M agn etite , hematite , marcasite, pyrite.

M etal lic min erals, copper-bear

ingM alachite, azurite , dioptase.

Carbon , hydrogen , oxygen S uccin ite, or amber.

Some foreign substances in colored varieties.

Titan ite.

Quartz , ro ck-crystal , amethyst, sapph irin e-quartz ,citrin e , cairn gorm , iris, rubasse , aven turin e

,

prase, chalcedon y, carn elian, sard

, sardonyx,

o nyx, n ico lo , p lasma, agate, helio trope (or

blo odston e) , mo cha- ston e, cat’s-eye , chryso

prase , n ovacu lite , sagen ite , jasper, porcel lan ite ,Egyptian pebbles, S co tch topaz , Bohemian to

paz , Brazilian topaz, M exican topaz,hyacin th

of Compostella, A lencon diamon ds, Bristo l ,Welsh , Irish , Corn ish ,Ho t S prings, and Califormia diamon ds.

Euchroite.

Turquoise, odon to lite (bone co lored by copper) .


R o se-quartzS apphirin eS ardS ardonyxS agen iteS co tch topazG arn et varietiesA lmandine, oralmandite

A steria

C arbun cleE sson ite, or cinna

mon -ston eHyacin th garnet, or

vermeilleGreen garn etU warowite

PyropeS eriam

E pido teZ on o chloriteJadeiteA xin iteS po dumene

‘

D iasporeV esuvian ite, or ido

erase .

C hryso lite varieties 6

P eridotO livin eM o on stone ( o r t h oclase)

S un ston e (o ligoclase)A dulariaPyriteM arcasite

R utileAmazon - stone (orthoc lase .

ChondroditeJade (n ephrite)O bsidian (orthoclase)T urquoise, or callaite

n ess.


118 55 .

2.5—3.5

LabradoriteOpal varietiesCachelongHydrophan eHyaliteM agn etite , or lodeston eHematite

Chlorastro liteBowen ite (serpen tin e)VV illemite

O ctahedriteKyan iteDiopside (pyroxen e)Hypersthen eLapis- lazuliThomson ite

M on azite

Titan ite

DioptaseA pophylliteWilliamsite (serpen

tin e)Crocido liteR odo chrosite

A zuriteEuchro iteM alachite .

V ulpin ite (an hydrite) .

N oble serpen tineLepido liteBarite .

A galmato lite (p in ite)CalciteCro co ite

Amber (succm ite)Gypsum (selen ite)S teatite (talc)Jet (co al)Gems of an imal origin

P earlCo ral

A P P E N D I X D.

HARDNES S o r PRECIOU S STONES .—SCALE, FROM 1 To 10.

First ran k , I O Diamon d.

S econ d rank, 9 V arieties of the precious corundum (R uby

T hird ran k, 8+ Chrysoberyl,spinel , topaz.

Fourth rank, 7+ A ndalusite , beryl , euclase , hiddenite, io lite, phenakite,quartz, tourmalin e, zircon .

Fifth rank, 6+ Amazon -ston e (ormicroclin e) , adularia, axinite, Chon drodite,chryso lite , diaspore , epido te , garn et, jade, jadeite, labradorite , marcasite, m oon ston e, Obsidian , pyrite, rutile , spodumen e , sun ston e, turquoise, vesuvian ite (or idocrase) ,zon o chlorite .

S ixth rank, 5+ Bowen ite, chlorastro lite, diopside, dioptase , hematite, hy

persthen e , kyan ite , lapis- lazu li, magn etite (or lodestone) ,mon azite , o ctahedrite, Opal , thomson ite, titanite, wil

lemite .

S even th rank , 4+ Crocido lite, Wil liamsite, apophyllite .

Eighth rank, 3+ A zurite , euchro ite, malachite, rhodocrosite, vulpinite.

N in th rank , 2+ A galmato lite, amber, barite, calcite, crocoite, lepido lite,serpen tine .

T en th rank, 1+ Jet, selenite, steatite.

A P P E N D I X E .

RELAT IVE SPECIFIC GR AVITY OF PRECIOU S STONES .

Third rank, 3+

Fourth rank, 2+

Fifth rank, 1+

Crocoite .

Barite, hematite, magn etite, marcasite, monazite, pyrite"rutile , zirco n .

A xin ite , azurite , chlorastro lite , Chon drodite, chiasto lite(an dalusite) , cro cido lite, chryso lite, chrysoberyl , corun

dum ,diamon d , diaspore ,

diopside , dioptase, epido te ,euchro ite , euclase, garn et, hidden ite , hypersthen e , jade»

ite , kyan ite , malachite , o ctahedrite , rhodocrosite, spin el ,spodumen e , titan ite , topaz, vesuvian ite (orwil lemite , zon o chlorite .

A dularia, agalmato lite, amazon -ston e, apophyllite, beryl ,bowen ite , calcite , io lite (or dichro ite) , jade (or n ephrite) ,labradorite, lapis- lazuli, lepido lite, moon ston e , obsidian ,

phen akite , quartz, serpen tin e, se len ite, steatite, sun ston e,thomson ite, to urmalin e, turquoise, vulpin ite, Wil liamsite,

Amber, jet, opal .


82

Chalcedony

P R E CI OUS S TON ES .

M aine , N ewHampshire , V ermon t, M assachusetts, Conn ecticut, Penn sylvan ia , Co lorado .

R hode I sland , Texas, Co lorado , R ocky M o un tains.

Chiasto lite (an dalusite) , M ain e , N ewHampshire , V ermon t, M assachusetts, Con

Diaspore

Diopside (pyroxene)Elaeo lite (nephelite)Emerald

Epido te

Garn et

Hematite

n ecticut, P enn sylvan ia, Californ ia.

Lake S uperior.

M assachusetts, N ew York, N ew Jersey, Penn sylvan ia.

M ain e, N ewHampshire, V ermon t, Con n ecticut, N ew York.

A rizona, M on tan a, N ew M exico , Co lorado , V ermon t.

Foun d in several of the S tates and Territories.

Californ ia.

V irgin ia, N orth Caro lin a, Georgia, In diana, Wiscon sin ,Oregon , Co lorado , Californ ia. [Gen eral ly -in iso latedcrystals "

M assachusetts, Pen n sylvan ia, N orth Caro lina.

N ew York , A rizo n a, N ew M exico .

A rkan sas, M assachusetts, M ain e.

N orth Caro lin a.

N ewHampshire, M assachusetts, Connecticut, R hode Island,N ew York, N ew Jersey, P en n sylvan ia, M ichigan .

M aine , N ewHampshire , V ermon t, M assachusetts, Conn ecticut, N ew York , N ew Jersey, Delaware, P enn sylvan ia, Wiscon sin , N orth Caro lin a , G eo rgia, Texas, Californ ia, Co lorado , A rizon a, N ew M exico , M o n tan a

,A laska.

Foun d in man y of the S tates and Territories.

Hidden ite (Spodumen e) N orth Caro lin a.

Idocrase (vesuvian ite) M ain e , N ewHampshire , M assachusetts, N ew York, N ew

Io lite (or dichroite)

Jadeite

Jasper

Jet

Kyan ite

Jersey, Co lorado .

N ewHampshire , M assachusetts, Con n ecticut.

Pen n sylvan ia, A laska.

M assachusetts, N ew York , Kan sas, Co lorado , Texas, ando ther places.

Texas, Co lorado .

N ewHampshire , V ermon t, M assachusetts, Con n ecticut,Pen n sylvan ia, M arylan d , V irgin ia, N orth Caro lina.

N ew York , N ew Jersey , P ennsylvan ia, A rkan sas.

M ain e, M assachusetts, Connecticut.

M onazite

A P P E N DLX F. 383

Foun d in most o f the S tates andTerritories.

M ain e , N ewHampshire , V ermon t, Conn ecticut, N ew Jersey, Penn sylvan ia, Wiscon sin , M aryland , V irgin ia, N orthCaro lin a, S o uth Caro lina, Tennessee, M issouri, A rkansas, A rizon a

, Californ ia.

Conn ecticut, N ew York , N orth Caro lina.

M o on ston e (orthoclase) P en n sylvan ia, V irgin ia.

M oss-agate

N o vacu lite

Obsidian

OctahedriteO livin e

Opal .

R hodo crosite

R uby (corun dum)

R utile

S agen ite (or V en us’hair ston e)

Sapphire (corun dum)

S elen ite (gypsum)S pin el

S podumene

N orth Caro lin a, Co lorado , M on tana, Wyoming.

N orth Caro lin a, Georgia, A rkan sas.

Californ ia, Co lorado , N ew M exico , N evada.

R ho de Islan d .

V ermon t, N ew M exico , M on tana, A rizona.

N ew York , Pen n sylvan ia, N orth Caro lina, Georgia, Florida,Co lorado , A rizo na, Californ ia.

V ermon t, N ew M exico , Co lorado , M ontana, A rizona.

Co lorado .

M assachusetts, Con necticut, N ew York, N ew Jersey, LakeS uperior.

Foun d in n umerous localities .

Fo un d in n umerous localities.

M aine , M assachusetts, V ermon t, N ewHampshire, R hodeIslan d , N ew Jersey, M on tana.

N ew York , N ew Jersey, N evada.

N ew Jersey, P en n sylvan ia, V irgin ia, N orth Caro lina, Goorgia, Co lo rado , N ew M exico , M on tan a, A rizon a.

M ain e , N ewHampshire, V ermon t, M assachusetts, Conn ecticut, N ew York, N ew Jersey, Pennsylvan ia, N orth

Caro lina, Georgia, A rkansas.

N orth Caro lina.

N ew Jersey , P en n sylvan ia, V irgin ia, N orth Caro lina, Geor~

gia, Co lorado , N ew M exico , M on tana, A rizona.

Foun d in n umerous p laces.

N ew York, N ew Jersey, N orth Caro lina, Georgia, Co lorado .

M ain e , N ewHampshire , M assachusetts, Connecticut, N orth

Caro lin a.

Foun d in many o f the S tates.

Connecticut, N ew York, Penn sylvania.

3 84

T hetis’- hair ston e

Thomson ite

T itan ite

Topaz

Tourmaline

Zon ochlorite


R hode Islan d.

Lake S uperior, A rkan sas (in the Ozark M oun tain s) .

M ain e, M assachusetts, Conn ecticut, N ew York , N ew Jersey, P enn sylvan ia .

M ain e, Con n ecticut, A rkan sas, Co lorado , A rizona, N ew

M exico , U tah.

M ain e, N ewHampshire , V ermon t, M assachusetts, Conn ecticut, N ew York , N ew Jersey , Pennsylvan ia, S outhCaro lin a, Texas, Californ ia.

A rizon a, N ew M exico , N evada.

N ew York .

N ew Jersey .

P en n sylvan ia.

M ain e , V ermon t, Con n ecticut, N ew York, N ew Jersey,Pen n sylvan ia, N orth Caro lina, California.

Lake S uperior.

I owa.

Californ ia, Texas, Ohio , Tennessee.


385 IN DEX .

Assyria, 78, 138Assyrian art , 56, 160has- re liefs

, 100

cities, 1 12jewelry

, 78prin ces, 108ruins

, 109, 34sAssyrian s, 79, 1 1 1 , 1 12 , 145, 162, 164, 188, 317Astarte,1 2 7Asteria, 250

A straclian, 233Auburn

, 3 12Aucklan d , Lord , 272Aude, 348Augite,10

Augustan age, 25Augustus, E lector, 50Emperor

, 83the S trong

, 51I I I . 63Aulus, 149Austerlitz

, 267Australia, 1 72 , 206, 254, 278, 281 , 288, 320Austria, 40, 256, 269, 2 78, 301House o f, 6 1Austrian consul

, 3 12

A va, 3 10

treasury o f, 249Aven turin e

, 365Avicen na, 137Axin ite, 334Aztecs, 296 , 327Azurite, 328

Baber, 2 14, 239Babylon, 30, 363Babylon ian Captivity, 1 19

cylinders, 32 7in tagli

,1 12

Babylon ian s, 1 12,145, 295Bacchus, 7Badakshan , 253Bagdad , 66 , 232Bagues, 107Baldrick , 35Baldwin I I .

, 46

Ballaheia, 301Balthazar,1 28

Baltic S ea , 346 , 348Baluchan i, 301Barbaro ssa , Frederick , 6 1 , 104, 126Barbarin i, 42Barite, 340Baron ess Burdett-Coutts, 248Baroques, 290Barrera, M .

me . , 96, 1 2 1 , 1 72Bartho ldy, 49Bast, 55Bavaria

, 323Bay o f Candalchy, 298Becket , Thomas a, 36Beloochistan

, 301Belshazzar, 1 14Belus, 364Bengal, 39 , 199 , 25x

Ben Jon so n,134, 31 5Man sur, 137 , 273Beowulf , 109Berghem , or Berquem , 188Berlin , 41 , 1 23 , 1 53, 346

U n iversity, 50Beryl , 259Bez oa , o r Beza ston e , 140Biblio theque Nation ale , 45, 1 13, 157Big River, 206Bishop of Hereford , 120Lo ndon , 33

I

Black Prin ce, 7 1 , 302

ston e,138Blood , Thomas, 36

sto n e, 364Bloody Tower

, 70B lue Ridge, 243

obrowska, 304Boethius (De Boot) , 137 , 141Bo

gota

, 39, 265B0 em ia, 247 , 2 78 , 287 , 301 , 303, 318, 36 1 , 366Bokhara, or Bukhara, 283, 3 1 7Bo logn a, 47

ston e , 340Bombay , 223 , 236 , 239Bonaparte , fam ily , 1 80

gseph , 234apoleon I . , 38 , 41 , 6 1 , 68, 223, 226 ,227Napo leon I I I . ,

235Bon n e , 52Borgia, or Borgh is, 2 16Born eo , 199 , 2 12 , 2 18 , 237Borromeo, S t. Charles, 126

Bort , 205Bottle- ston e, 336Bowen ite , 339Boyle , Robert , 8 , 143, 1 75Bracelets

,108

Brahmin s, 1 16, 344Bran denburg, E lector of, 49raz il

, 199, 200, 201 , 203 , etpassz'

mraz ilian governmen t

, 1 87sapphire

,2 78, 309

ruby. 2 78 , 309t0pa2 , 2 78

reastplate o f the Jewish High Priest, 1 18, 1 19rewster

, S irD . , 10, 1 7 1 , 246, 346, 351Briareus, 33Brighton agates

, 356

emeralds, 2 7 7Britain , 60British Association ,233Burmah , 253

Co lumbia, 296India,2 14Briton s, 109, 148, 348

rooches, 1 14Brooch o f Lorn, 1 14Bruce, Robert , 73Bruges 188

Brussels, 37Buddha, statue of , 249

Bundelcund, 12 7Burgun dy , House o f, 89Burmah, 249 ,

2 53, 301Burman empire , 252 , 253, 256governmen t , 257Burn ing of Troy ,” 286

urton , 1 85, 202 , 209 , 2 79usts and statuettes, 1 59Byzan tine art , 1 53

emperors, 66period, 365

works, 43, 84

Cabalists, 1 20Cachelong , 283Cadmus, 1 10Caesar, J 34: 4 1 , 607 8 1 , 82 7 1 15) 295Caillaud, M . , 269airn gorm , 365airo , 269 , 366alcutta

,244

aliforma, 208, 287 , 288, 296, 301 , 336 , 341 ,

369Callain a, 3 15allaite, 31 5

Callais, 315Calpurn ia, 82Cameo , 1 6

reek,I 56I n dian

,1 59Persian , 1 59Roman

,1 56

L e Grand , 40Odescalchi, 158Vatican , 40Vien n a, 40Camillo , L . , 138

can ada’ 3351 339Can n ae , 105Can terbury , 1 29Capodimon te , 47Carat, $126 o f, 195Carbon ado , 1 78

Carbon iferous strata, 206Carbun cle , 304, 305Carbun co lo , 141Cardan ,

1 37 , 143Cardin al Mazarin

,189Richelieu , 38Rohan

, 182Wo lsey, 97Caradossa , Ambrose , 194Caria, 362Caribees, 327Carlovin gian period , 1 23Carmen ia

, 3 15Carn atic provmce , 199Carn elian , 362Carpathian Moun tains

, 285Carthage , 1 19Carthagen a, 355Carthagin ian s, 105Casa S an ta , 1 29Cascalho , 185Caserta , 47Castile , 7 1Castel lan i, 48 , 55Cathedral of Aix- la-Chapelle, 123

Chartres, 43Co logn e , 2 5Con stan tin op le , 125Gen oa , 2 76Mon za, 6 1 , 2 73Naples

,1 53Prague

,1 23, 363

S t. Paul , 1 24S aragossa , 1 23S eville , 122

the Archangel Michael , 124To ledo , 1 22 , 269Carthage , 305Catherin e o f Aragon , 92 , 258

de Medici, 2921L , 2 19, 233, 235

Cato , 80

Cat’s

-

eye , 322 , 364the Hope

, 39Cellin i, 47

Ewer, 43Salt- cellar

, 52Celts, 305Cen tral America

, 296Park , 54Cerro do Frio , 186, 202Certosa di Pavia , 123

of S an Martin o,123, 31 7

Cesn ola, S ig . , 55, 146

Ceylon , 32 , 12 7 , 297 , 298, etpassz'

mChael , 147Chain s, 1 14Chalcedony, 6 1

ISVIan ufacturing Co . , 369

I N DEX .

Chaldaea, 24, 78, 146Chaldaean astron omy

, 29

cities, 1 12

lan guage , 1 19t urn s

,1

Chalda an s, 147 , 3 1

0

7

9 , 345

halon s- sur- S aon e , 120hamoun ix

, 356

Chapel , Wen zel,123

Chardin, 301

Charles the Bald, 358Bo ld , 52 , 90, 1 88, 22 1 , 224, 256, 358

1 (Eng -L 72 , 95I I . 36 , 70, 100

V . (Empero r) , 6 1 , 140V (Ff am e) , 45, I 57 , 1 94, 267

u

if."

25;45

Charleén agne, 52 , 84, 97 , 1 13, 12 1 , 126, 263, 267,

2 7Chatlan , 302

Chaucer, 36 , 134, 143

Chessy, 329Copper, 329

Chessylite , 329Chesterfield, 3 10Chiasto lite , 341Chin a, 299, etpassz'mChinese , 289, 290, 32 7gran dee , 346provin ces, 253Chlorastro lite, 334Chrondrodite, 339Christian art , 56

churches, 120, 12 1dispen sation

, 1 1 7 , 120

emperors, 1 25writers, 35

Chrysoberyl , 32 1Chrysoco lla, 328Chrysolampis, 257Chryso lite , 3 19Chrysoprase , 363 , 368Church, A .H. , 34, 2 1 5, 3 16, 335

of the Escurial , 1 22Or San Michele , 123Sain t Den is, 37 , 12 1

Paul, 142Peter, 359

San Ambrogio , 1 23, 249Loren zo , 1 24S an ta Maria M a giore , 123the Virgin delPi ar, 1 23

Churches, Byzan tin e, 1 2 1Greek , 1 24Roman

,12 1 , 124Russian , 1 24

S pan ish , 123Cin galese , 253, 2 7 7Cmque- cen to artists

, 194engravers, 148, 154period

, 37 , I 53, I SSClarac , Coun t de , 1 67

Classification o f Precious S ton es, 20Claudian ,

2 73 , 350

Clay , M r. , 26 1

Cleavage , 18Cleopatra , 83 , 29 1 , 293Clo th o f Gold, 94Cneius, 149Cn idos, 2 77 a

Coat- o f- arms, 1 13Coeur-de- Lion , 100

Coldoré, 1 50

Co llection s, o f precious ston es, 41- 57Alban i, 42An ton elli, 42

388 I N DEX .

Collections, Austrian , 360Azara, 49Barbarin i, 42Berlin

, 41 , 497 362Bibliotheque Royale , 43, 45, 1 13Blacas, 42 , 46 , 48 , 161 , 162, 164British Museum, 41

Bufiom , 57Castellan i, 42Chase , 5Co llegio R oman o , 42Con stan tinople , 65Copen hagen , 41Cracherode , 42 , 261

Devon shire , 42 , 43, 44, 291Dresden , 41 , 50, 51 , 1 79

Euke o f Lu n es, 42 , 46

co le des in es, 251

Eddy, E . B . , 56

gdinburgh , 45

t, 49Egg nd (Gt . Britain) , 42F loren ce , 41 , 46, 3 16Fould, 42 , 46, 272 , 3 16Fran ce) 40, 41 , 457 46 ) 18°Ham lin , 57 , 31 1Hague, 41Herz , 31 , 42 , 50, 52 , 162 , 164, 256Hotel de Clun y, 46I tal 46

11511 in des P lan tes, 240, 249“28 , 55Kn ight , 42Kun z , 57L ea, 56Leidy , 56Liverpoo l , 45L ouvre

é46

Lowe , S . C. , 57Lowell , 56Ludovisx, 42 , 48Marlborough 42 , 44, 16 1 , 162, 164M arquis de Bree , 42Mars, M lle . , 46

M askelyn e, 42M erten s- S chafihausen , 42 , 52, 165, 261

M un ich , 240, 267N aples, 41 , 48N orthumberlan d , 42Odescalchi, 42 , 1 56Orleans

, 45, 53, 284Persian , 234Piombin o,149

P on iatowsky, 42 , 52 , 163Portales, Coun t de, 42P raun

, 52 , 272 , 284

Rhoades, 42R inuccin i, 249Roger, Baron , 42 , 46Russia, 53S heppard , C. U . , 57S outh Ken sington , 40

S tosch , 49 , 50, 1 51

S t . Petersburg, 41S tro zzi, 42 , 48, 53S trawberry H i ll , 358Thurston , 56Town ley , 42Townshen d , 42 , 43, 44, 161 , 1 77 , 269Turk , M . , 46

U n ited S tates, 54, 55, 56Vatican , 4x, 47 , t s8. 246. 367Vaux , 26 1Vien n a, 41 , 51Webb, 254

Co logn e , 48, 359Co lor o f precio us ston es, 1 1 , 12 , 13Co lorado , 22 , 208 , 259, 278, 287 , 302 320, 328, 331 ,

Co lumbia, 340Brit ish, 296

Co lombo , 127Combinations o f precious ston es, 27Combustibility , 1 7Commonwealth of England

, 70

Co n es, 160Con n ecticut , 278 , 310, 338, 340Con stable o f Fran ce , 140

Co nstan tin e the Great, 12 1Con stan tin ople , 46 , 65, 85, 1 19, 269Constellation of Pisces, 29Con stituen ts o f precious ston es

, 9Conven t of Tours, 46

Troitz a, 125

Conwa River, 288Cook , rof. , 18Copen hagen , 41Coral , 343, 344Coroman del coast, 199Coronation s, 59

of En glish sovereigns, 7 1Mogu l sovereign s, 59Persian sovereign s, 59Turkish sovereign s, 59Corsi, F. , 194

‘

Cortez , 266 , 267 , 296Corun dum , 242

Cossack , 98min es

,244

Costar, M r. , 189 , 237Costan za

,G . , 194C. , 194

Costan zi, 1 50, 194Costa Rica, 326Coun cil of state , 70Coun terfeit en gravings, 149

settings, 25Co un tess o f Granville, 74Cox, J . R . , 56

Cracherode, 42 , 26 1Cracow , 63Crete, Island o f, 7Crocido lite, 333Crocoisite, 342Cron ins 149Cross ofLotharius, 153

S t. George , 104Crown s, 58 , 59

of An n e Boleyn , 70a baron , 73Charlemagn e, 6 1the Czars, 64, 65dukes, 73earls, 73E dward the Con fessor, 70, 273E t

, 58

Eigigij

and or Great Britain , 39, 249, 255,26 1 , 302Fran ce, 68 , 227 , 228

the Roman Emp ire , 59Go thic Kings, 246

n obles, 246Hebrews, 58Hun gary , 6 1 , 246, 273Lombardy, 6 1 , 246, 273a marquis, 73Mexico , 58, 59n obles, 73Persia’ 59 1 2 1 1 332 9 2331 269Prince o f W es, 70Prussia

, 269R eceswin thus, 60


390 IN DEX .

Diamon ds, N assack, 229

N izam , 2 1 8, 238Orloff, 2 1 5, 2 18 , 2 19 , 22 1 , 248Pasha o f Egypt, 234

P atrochin o, 239Pear, 234Pigo tt, 229Pitt, or Regen t, 190, 225Po lar S tar, 234Porter Rhoades

, 238Portuguese Regen t, 2 18Rajah o f Matan

, 2 1 8R aolco nda, 238Russian Table

, 228S avoy 235S ea ofG lory

, 232

S ea of Light, 232

S hah , 230, 23 1 , 233{Jeh

an, 230

S tar 0 Beaufort, 205Diamon ds,205, 239

S arawak, 237

the S outh , 201 , 236 , 237S outh Africa, 203, 240

S tewart, 205, 238S un o f the S ea, 232Tavern ier, A , B , C,

234Blue, 227

Tay- e

-M ah, 23 1Ten nan t

,239Three Tables

, 228Thro n e 232

Tifiany I .,240Turkey I . and I I .

, 234In dian , 197 , 198, 199Irish, 350Lake George

, 353matri x o f, 1 72Matura , 319min es o f, 1 84, 185Bahia

, 202

Braz il, 63, 199 , 200, 201 , 202 ,203

Bin era, 206

Cou our, 1 8 , 228, 238D u Toit’s an ,204

dry diggings,” 204

Gan i , 198, 228, 238Kimberly , 205Min as Geraes, 202Mudgee , 206N ew Rush , 206Puteal , 225P un n ah , 198R aolconda , 1 97S ierra do Frio , 202Sumbalpoor, 199Rhin e , 261Russian , 206 , 207

S outh African , 203—206

S outh American , 202 , 203trade and price o f

, 195- 196

o f the U n ited S tates, 207 , 208Welsh , 350Diaspore , 341Dichro ite , 323Dichroism ,

14Dieulafait, 1 78, 205, 2 16, 278, 344D inglinger, 51Dinocrates, 336Diopside, 332Dioptase , 332Dioscorides, 48, 53, 1 13, 143, 149, 162, 288, 330,

337,Dispersion ,

19Doge o f Ven ice , 104

Do omite Moun tain s, 310

Don An ton io , 222Pedro , 7 1 , 302Donn e , Dr. , 31 5Douglas, Margaret, 248

Dracon ius,139Dree , Marquis de

, 195Dresden , 41 , i 7 , 235, 246 , 248, 291M r. E.

, 236Duchess de Barri,69

Duke of An jo u , 189Blacas

, 42

Brun swick , 181 , 2 12 , 228, 250, 256Buckingham, 96Burgun dy, 90, 9 1 , 128

,1 88, 22 1 , 256,

2 85Cumberlan d

, 237Barri, 45Devon shire, 41 , 44

George o f S axon y, 50

of Lan caster, 90Luyn es

, 42Marlborough, 41

N orthumberland, 42Orlean s

, 45, 9 1 , 1 28 , 223, 316Ven dome, 97Westminster

, 229Duleep Singh , 39, 268Dumas

, 1 74Durham, 129Dutch , 69, 1 87 , 200, 203, 307

governmen t

, 2 19 , 226apidaries, 308Republic

, 86

Dyer) Jo I 34

Earl o f Arun del, 33Derby

, 33East

, 31 , 100,etpassz

'

m

In dia Compan y , 2 14, 229, 2 72 , 293islan ds

,29In dian , 330I n dian s, 2 75, 290Indies, 69 , 239

Eastern Con tin en t, 49 , 332 , 325, 338

Eastw ick,67

Eddy , E . B ., 56

Eden ,107Hon . Miss, 2 72

Edinburgh, 45Castle , 72 95

Edward I . , 36

I I . , 1 20

U L , 33, 93the Con fessor, 7 1 248

Egypt, 32 , 7

6,e?passzm

Egyptian in tagl i , 146jewelry, 78

mumm ies, 30pebbles, 366

remain s,108

works, 363Elba, islan d o f, 287 , 304, 310, 341lector o f Bran den burg, 49 , 346{Do

hn Frederick , 106

alatine , 95Electricity , 1 8

Electrides In sulae, 345E lephan ta, statues o f, 102Eman uel ,H. , 193, 2 1 5, 323Emeralds, 263—27 7

en graved, 2 7 1 , 2 72false , 2 75, 2 76, 2 77

o f Egypt , 273Ethiopia , 2 73Moun t Zebarah

, 269M uzo , 265, 268N ew Gren ada, 2 70, 27 1

I N DEX .

Emeralds, o f N orth Carolina, 270orien tal , 246o f S iberia, 268

Emerald , Devon shire , 268Isle,2 7 1

EmperorA lexan der S everus, 83Alexis Comn en us,65Augustus

,8 1

Aurum zeeb , 88, 2 14, 2 16, 2 72 , 292Caligu a

, 8 1 , 82

o f Cathaye , 257Claudius, 60, 293, 336, 360Con stan tius IL , 16 1 , 249Domitian , 1 54Ferdin an d I .

,6 1

Galba , 1 13 ,Hadrian , 41 , 148 , 1 56 , 182, 27 1Heliogabalus, 59 , 82 , 103Ho n orius, 1 10

Jehan gir, 2 72L eo , 34Maximilian , 109, 2 75M urad V . , 87N ero , 82 , 182 , 275, 329, 342 , 347 , 351 , 367N icho las, 230Paul

,1 76Pertin ax , 250Rudo lph I I . , 52

o f Russia, 322Tiberius, 336Titus, 263Tra

'

an, 182

, 353Emperors, C ristian

,166

o f the Middle Ages, 59Roman , 367Empire , Mogul , 2 14Empress Catherine IL , 39, 65, 98, 233

Eu én ie , 69 , 98, 223, 293He en a, 62 , 244Josephin e

,239, 286, 368

o f Russia, 66ngland, 70, 229 , etfiassz

'

m

English aristocracy , 93coin s, 1 51

n obles, 323prin ces, 93

royal fam ily, 293

so ldiers , 358thron e , 249

Engravers , 149—1 51

.

Engravings on precious ston es, 146- 167

an tiquity o f,145Assyrian , 1 46

Chaldaean,146

Egyptian, 146

importan ce o f, 145materials for

,160

165subjects for

,1 51

1 54style o f, 1 54

Engraved gems, 1 59collection s of, 1 59 , 160

Blacas, 159Barbarin i, 159Berlin , 1 59Copenhagen , 1 59Floren ce , 1 58, 1 59Londo n

,1 59Naples , 1 59

N ew Yo rk , 159Odescalchi, 1 59S t. Petersburg , 1 59U n ited S tates, 159,

160

Vien n a, 1 59Engravings, coun terfe it, 149

39 1

En gravings, early Greek , 154Gn ostic , 42Etruscan , 1 54Roman

,1 54

subjects for, 151who le n umber o f, 167

Engravers, Cinque- cen to

, 148 , 154signatures of, 151

Epidote , 332Epiphan ius, 2 8Equipages an armor, 100Eriphale , 1 10Escurial , 1 50Esmeralda

, 266

Espousing the Adriatic , 104Essence of Pearl

,

”24

Esterhazyggms

, 99icholas

, 99Paul, 99

E thiopia, 18 1 , 273, 3 18E truria, 345Etruscan

,art

, 43, 56

0 ornamen ts, 153

works, 53

Eteandros, 55Euchro ite , 340Euclase

, 333Europe , 31 , 39 , et f assz’mEuropean courts, 187

lapidaries, 2 75sovereign s, 255

European s, 252 , 2 56Euro tus, 141

Eve , legen d about, 107Ev idan us, 34Exposition of

5Amsterdam, 240Lon don , 1 7 7 , 18 1 , 207 , 227 , 279N ew Orlean s

, 22 , 241 , 287 ,

Paris, 227 , 237 , 282 , 352Philadelphia, 48, 287 , 353Eye o f Allah ,” 232

Ezekiel , 78, 2 74, 343Fabia Fabiana, 125Fan s

, 97 , 98Farn ese cup , 157Faroe Islan ds, 282Faustin a, 82Fin lan d, 339F lemish merchan ts, 33

F loren ce, 35, 37 , etpassz'mgallery, 148Foo t

, Dr. A . E . , 331

Fould,M . , 42

Fran ce , 33, 35, etpassz'mFran cis I . , 45, 52 , 92 , 149, 267H., 99Fran klin ,B . F . , 306Franks, 84Frederick I . , 224the Great, 41 , 363IV . ,

6 1

Freemaso n s, 166

Fren ch , 92 , 344Academy of S ciences, 306Revo lution , 223invasion , 123Fuen te di Guerrazar, 60Fug er, 224Fusi ility, 1 7

Gabriel , 139Galleria della Gemma, 37

robbery of, 37 , 194GalliCia , 285Garcias, 197

392 11VDEX .

Garde Meuble, 37 , 46, 68, 223, 226, 228, 234Gargas, 347Ca es

, 347Gar ands, 59Garnet, 302, 394 , 305varieties o f, 303

Green lan d , 03M arlboroug 05

Garter, S t. George o f t e, 73, 96, 104Gaspar, 128Gauls, 84, 167Gem embroidery , 97

engraving, 29Gemmel , 103Gen lis, M me. , 249Gen oa , 92

Geo logical survey, 5Georgia , 208 , 339George I I . , 95

I I I . , 95, 238

IV . ,1 51 , 249

German tribes, 347German y, 59 , 148 , atpassz

'

m

Gesta R oman orum , 132

Gibeah , 62Gideon , 107Giraso l , 251 , 283Ruspo li , 251G lass jewe ls , 23 , 24, 25Gn ostic art , 56

engravings,1 1 1 , 166 , 167

ems, 165, 167egends, 2 72rites, 166subjects, 166

Gn ostics, 164, 165, 166 , 365Goa. 279, 299odavery R iver, 2 13, 229

Goethe , 41Go lcon da, 197G o lden Fleece ,” 134, 235, 255

Gorgon ia , 45Gothic kin s

, 60, 84, 249n ob caJ

_

60

period , 250treasures, 84

Goths, 83 , 84Gouttes d’eau , 2 79Gran d Duke o f Florence , 309Tuscan y , 22 1Gran dso n , battle o f

, 52 , 9 1 , 100, 221Gran vil le , Co un tess of, 74Grasse , 235Great Britain , 7 1 , 92, 104, 188, 203, 295, 348Harry, 2

Khan ofTartary , 132Mogul , 234, 29 1 , 292greece

k28 , 34, etpassz

'

mreco tian art, 153

[ S ign art, 153Greek art, 56

engravmgs, 366schoo l , 305works, 152 , 1 54

Greeks, 7 , 25, ctpas-rimCgreenlamd. 303. 323. 324, 327 , 333. 339

Green Vaults, 235, 248, 29 1G resham , S ir 29 1 , 294Grevflfi , S irC. , 242Gul f of Mexico , 296Panama, 296Gustavus Adolphus

, 96Guzerat, 1 16

Hague. 4x. 69Hal l of S t. Elizabeth , 124Hamlin , A . C. , 57 , 65, et /assz'

m

Hann ibal,105Hardness o f gems, 15, 16Harlay (de S an cy) , 222 , 223Harmon , M r. , 70Hartz Moun tain s

, 324Hastings, Warren, 238Haiiy, Abbé , 13, 137 , etpas:z

'

mHaiiyn e , 316Hebrews, 29, 1 18, 145, 147ebrides, 28 1Hector, 134Heias, 151Hellen ic tribes, 79Heliodorus, 2 73Heliopo lis, 127Helio trope , 364Hematite , 340Hen ry IL .

I ll" 33: 93, [ 29IV . , 45, 1 50, 222

V . , 33, 7 1 , 302

I 33VI I I - 9 341 92 1 941 225Heraclea , 337Herculan eum ,2 73Hercules, 337Hermitage , 65Herodo tus, 82 , 13 1 , 275Hidden , W . E ., 2 70, 2 7 1 , 338H idden ite, 2 70, 338

Hiero ,1 7

ill, S ir John , 9 , 12 , 188, 274

indoo prin ces, 1 10indoo s

,2 15, 275, 289

ittites, 80arth , 307

o and, 39, 2 19 , 233

o lmes 1 1

Ho ly o Ho lies,” 1 18

Homer, 29, 108, 1 12 , 147 , 148, 294, 345Honduras, 28 1 , 285, 287ope, M r.

, 227cat

’s-eye , 39

pearl. 39

Wcm y,

on . 2Horus, 160 39

Hotel de Cluny , 46ouse o f i urgundy, 89» 2335Han over

,237

umboldt, 207 , 32 7

n asal-

g. 28 1 , 282 , 283, 287 , 335. 340, 343

yacmt 3 19o f Vesuvius

, 335Hyalite , 283Hyderabad, 2 18Hyllus, 149Icelan d , 28 1 , 324Idaho , 208dar

, 27 . 357docrase, 335

gneous theo ry, 10

iad, 62 , 351l Vicen tin o , 149maum o f Muscat , 292Imitatio n gems, 23, 24, 25Immortals,” 82In cas, 265India , 1 7 , 30. at { Sa ss

-{mIn dian Apo llo , 128

art , 56

lapidaries, 260, 334Ocean , 295o rn amen ts, 89princes, 256 , 268


394 I N DEX .

Lisbon,Bank o f, 200Lithia- emeralcl

, 338“Lithika,

”13 1 , 363Liversidge

,Pro fesso r, 1 72

L o calities o f precious ston es, 2 1 , 22Lodeston e, 336

o f Ethiopia, 337L ollia Paulin a

,82

Lombardy , 59Lo n do n, 4 1 , 57 , etpasszmmerchan ts, 33Lord Chan cello r, 96

o f the Rubies,” 252Lore tto , 1 29Louis V I .

,1 22

V I I . ,122

XI I ., 92

XM L . 35, 38 , 92 ,“

50, 284KW

, 35, 45, 46 , 69, 22 2 . 22?

3 x4 ,

XV . ,1 57 , i 8a

XV I . ,1 82

XVI I I . , 68L ouvre i 301 451 461 7 61 77Lucan ,

83Lucern e , 223Lucian,1 1 7Lucullus, 8 1 , 105

Ludov isi, 42 48Lustre,14

Lycia , 347Lydgate,134Lyn x- sto n e,141Lyon s

,2 76

Maecen as, 41 , 1 13Macedo n ian con quest, 148Macle, 34 1Macon Co un ty , 243Madagascar, 288Madras,229Madrid , 1 50, 268Magyar prin ces, 61Magn etite, 336Mahabharata , 30, 2 13

M ahanuddy river,199, 231Maha Raja , 101

Mahrattas, 229Mahmo ud,88 , 1 16Mahomet

,138 , 336Main e ; 2 1 1 2 591 2631 2781 31 1 1 3281 341Malachite , 32 7Malco lm , S irJ.

, 232Malays,. 32Malwar, 12 7Man chester, 208Man dala 252

M andeviile , S irJ. , 132 , 133, 143Man lius, 1 70

M an o f Ross,” 225Man tuan Vase, 360

M arbodus,1 34Marchan t , 1 51Marco P010, 132 , 295, 301 , 31 7Maria Theresa , 22 , 52 , 1 50Marie An toin ette , 92 , 182

Mark An tony, 284Marquis o f Hastings

, 229Loys1 37Mars

,M lle . , 37statue o f

, 336Marseilles, 344Marshal Jun o t, 122Martin Luther

,106

Mary o f Burgun dy, 52Josepha , 63

Queen o f S cots, 72 , 94, 95, 100, 250

Mary Tudor, 94Massilia, 305Maskelyn e , 42Matthew Paris, 249Mawe

, J .,165, 185, 201 , 203 , 2 12M ecca

,1 38, 1 39

M edix valart, 43

Christian s,1 28

Medici, Catherin e de , 45, 1 50Cosmo de , 46Loren zo de , 46 , 140, 1 55Marie de , 92Mediterran ean , 7 9

coast, 344Medusa, 343Melan chthon , 106Melchior, 1 28

Meleager,8

Memn o n , statué’of , 336Memo rials for the dead

, 1 25, 126Men an der, 362Merten s- S chafihausen , 52M etellus

,100

M ethods of cuttin g and po lishin g gems,188—194M etz

,222 , 224

M exican s, 29 ,H3 , 145, 337Mexico , 28 , 89 , clpassz'

m

Michael An ge lo,1 1 3M icro clin e

, 32 7M idian ites,107

I\Iiddle Ages,83, 9 7 , 100,

1 20, 125kn ights o f the

, 29M ilan, 59, 92 , 1 23 , 1 26 , 1 50, 249M il to n ,

295Minas N ovas, 2 78Min es and M in in g , 184, 1 85o f Go lcon da (so - cal led) , 2 18I ndia

,199

S outh Africa , 1 85, 190, 207 , 239S outh America

,1 86 , 200, 207Mirror o f Great Britain ,

”72M ithras

,165M ithridates, 41 , 80, 8 1 , 1 1 5, 294, 359Mitre

,29M o cha- ston e , 356Mogul co urt, 87Empire, 2 14emperors, 51 , 59, 87 , 88 , I 34, 25=Mohs, 1 5, 137Mohammedan con querors, 2 13

con que sts, 148prin ces 8 7M oldarite , 336M o o n sto n e

, 330Mon tan a , 244, 246Mon tezumas, 267 , 296M o n t-de - Piété , 34M o n tmoren ci, Co n stable Be: 9:M oore ,T . , 142 , 288 ,Moravia , 3 10Mordecai, 102

Mo rocco , 64Mo rris, 10

Morse , H . D . , 190, 208Morton, M . J . , 204, 205Moslem con queror, 88emperors

, 292Moslems, 1 26, 139Mo scow ,64, 124, 3 13, 316Moses, 76 , 1 19 , 147Mosque o f S t. S ophia, 1 25Moun t Apatite

, 3 12Athos, 1 24Caucasus, 105, 3 1 5Mica , 308 , 3 1 1S in ai, 2 74, 3 18S omma, 10, 335

Moun t Vesuvius, 301Mourn e Moun tain s, 259Muhlberg,106

Mu ller’s glass, 283Murad I I . ,66

Murat, 43, 262Murchison , S ir R . , 329Murray, 70

M urrli in e , 342Museum o f An tiquities, 120A rt

,N ew York, 54, 55

Balouk , 7 7Berlin, 329British

, 30, 41 et‘zfiassz

'

m

of Clun y, 60Dresden , 60,

-

106, 267 , 360F lorence, 367

Geo logy, 206 , 329the Hermitage , 53In n sbriicke , 166

Metropo litan , 54, 55, 146o f Min eralogy , Paris, 39 , 251N aples

, 352 , 360N ation al

,o f Paris

,.38 , 69Washingto n , 54, 208

o f Natural History, Paris, 1 7 7 , 262

S t . Petersburg, 3 1 2

.IYVZDIZAfl

S outh Ken smgton , 41 , 43, 123, 1 56,162 , 262 , 292 , 322 , 364Mystical powers of precious ston es, 137

- 144Mysore , 220Nabob o f Ascott, 229Nadir S hah , 66 , 2 13, 220, 229, 230, 231 , 232 , 234,

3 16

aifs, 192

U n iversity o f, 352arbon n e , 84Nation al Library

,Paris, 263, 354

N ebuchadn ez z ar, 55Necklace , 109 , 1 10

emerald , 267o f Harmo nia

, 109, 1 10

Jun0, 294opals, 287pearls, 293Pen elope , 109S eren a , 1 10turquoise

, 316N eepigon Bay, 331N ephrite, 327N evada, 3 13N ew Englan d

, 2 59, 334Gren ada, 265, 2 70, 2 7 1Hampshire , 260, 2 74, 3 10York ) 3 1 1 1 332 1 3401 353 G

Zealan d , 287 , 327 , 366Newton , S ir I . , 143, 1 7 1 , 1 74, 280, 281iagara, 356

ico lo , 360, 36 1

ico l,Pro fessor

, 2 14

ijui- Novgorod , 313i e , 269 , 366imrod

, 30

ineveh, 30, 76, 100

in ev ite sculpture, 78N izam o f the Deccan

, 238oah

’s A rk , 305

on ius,284

N on n us, 1 10

orman period , 36, 93N orth Caro lina , 2 1 , 22 , 208, 243, 265, 270, 27 1 ,z 78 , 339 , 34o ; 34tNorway , 18 , 333 335 340Novas Minas

, 1 84N uremberg, 52 , 149

395

berstein, 27 , 359

bsidlan, 335

ctahedrite , 341culus be lus

, 364so lis, 322

do n tolite , 3 14O ld Palace, 363Rock , 313O livine , 320Onyx, 358

CUPS , 359Mexican , 23o f Sain te Chapelle

, 157Opal , 280a

gate

, 283o Bohem ia

, 287Californ ia

, 287Co lorado

, 287Elba

, 287fire , 282

of Honduras,285, 287Hungary, 286Mexico , 282 , 287

min es, 282 , 285, 286o f N ew Zealan d

,287

Queen slan d, 285, 287Tripo li, 287varieties o f, 282 , 283Opalin e,164Optical properties, 19Orange Free S tates, 203

Orangeite , 342Orange River, 203 , 333Order of the Garter, 96 , 356Go lden Fleece , 62 , 63 91Gran d Cross, 63Maria Theresa, 63Orien tal prin ces, 299Orien t

,

”288

Origin of precious ston es, 7theories about, 7 , 8Ormuz , 166

rn amen ts,102

Orn amen tal tables, 47 , 363Orpheus, 13 1 , 135, 350

Osn is, 166

ttoman court , 222Empii e , 65, 86

uachita, 369verbury, 8 11 T .

,180

Vid1 132 1 I S31 341Oxus River, 3 1 7Palestin e , 62 , 129Palingen ius, 1 32Palmyra

, 32 , 8 1Pan ama, 288 , 290, 292 , 296Paradise, 1 39Chin ese

,1 1 7Lo st , 1 43Mo slem , 1 1 7precious ston es o f, 1 16

Paris Fran ce , 60, 87 , etpasszmMain e , 31 1Parisian jewellers, 254Pasargadae , 107Pasha o f E pt, 237Ibra 1m , 234Paste jewels, 23Paul , the Apostle , 128I II . , 234

Pawn s, 33 , 34Peacock Thro n e, 51 , 87 , 220, 232Pearl , 287divers, 297Pearl fisheries, 295, 296 , 298mother-o f 288

396

Pearl oyster, 287Pearls, an tiquity o f, 294artificial, 299famous, 39, 29 1 , 292. 293imitations o f, 24localities o f, 297Roman , 299Ven etian , 299Pebbles o f Ren n es, 367Pegu. 253. 301 , 305. 306 309Pekin g, 64, 256Pen elope , 109 , 345Pen n sylvan ia, 259 , 31 1 , 328 , 330, 341

U n iversity o f, 56Pen tateuch , 244Peridot, 32 1Perrot,M . , 76 , 78Persepo lis, 62 , 89Perseus, 343Persia, 9 , 79 , etpasszmPersian ambassador

, 3 14art ,cosmogon y , 245

ire , 148

Gulf)

, 288, 295invasio n , 2 1 7lapidaries, 305merchan ts, 3 13tradition , 302

treasury , 268Persian s, 107 , 1 12 , etpasszmPeru , 107 , 265, 267 , 2 70, 327P eruv iaiis, 107 , 1 13, 145, 336Peruzz i , 19 1Petrified woo d , 369 , 370P eyson n el, M . , 343Phaeton , 8 , 345Pharaoh , 77 , 1 14Phenakite , 331Philadelphia , 54Philemo n

, 362Philip the Bo ld,3’

1I 941 2251 23

the Good , 909

Phcebus, 165Phcenician art , 56

co lon ies, 80works, 80

Phoenician s, 28, 78, 79, 145,Piazza della S ignoria , 47Pichler,1 50

Piedmon t , 303, 335Pike’s Peak , 2 78 , 328, 331Pin na marina, 288

P istrucci, 1 51Pitt , Thomas, 225William , 225, 226Pizarro , 265Plan tagen et, 33 , 94Plasma

S, 363, 368Plato , 8 , 143, 2 73Pliny , 82 , 103 , atM um

Poet- laureate , 59Po in t Barrow , 326Po lan d ,Po larization ofmight , 19Po lycrates, 105, 106Po lyn ices

, 1 10Pompey , 41 , 8 1 , 100, 1 13, 1 15, 342Pope , Alexander, 225xAdrian IV . , 2Alexan der I I 104Ben edict , 272Bo n iface , 104

V I I . , 149Clemen t VI I I . , 47

104, 140,

Pope, John XX I I . , 120iId

ulius I I . , 194, 22 1 , 262 , 273eo IV . , 1 24IX . ,

158Pius IL , 49V I I . 262

P0 River, 345Portales Co un t de, 42Portugal, 32 , 223Portuguese , 200, 201 , 202 , 326governmen t, 201Posies,

”94Po tsdam

, 363Praen este , 345Prague , battle of, 39Prase

, 368Precious ston es in literature , 131 - 144Prester John,1 3Priam , palace oi, 134

P n ces o f ems, 3 1Prin ce A l ert, 224

o f I

C

3aroda, 89 , 231 , 235, 236

yprus, 2 77Demidoff, 223, 329Frederick Henry, 224

Kosroes, 230

Orlofi ,2 19 , 220Palatin e , 39

di Piombina , 48P on iatowsky, 53

gems) 53Potemkin , 98R e en t

, 201- 203

of iam , 240Tyre , 28 , 195, 223 , 268Wales, 195, 223, 268Princess of Orange , 37S an ta Croce, 37Prometheus, 105, 169Properties o f precious stones, 10, 1 1

o tical , 190

p ysical, 1 1Propertius, 342Prussia , 224, 353Pschen t, 78P sellus, 137Ptah

, 55Pto lemy, 105, 336Pto lem ies, 83, 1 53, 199 , 269Pun ic War, 105Punjaub , 1 2 7 , 2 13Pyramids, 30Pyrgo teles, 53 , 149Pyn tes, 337Pythagoras, 143Pytheas, 82

Quartz family , 349varieties, 349 , 350

Queen An ne , 36 , 95Arsin o '

e, 1 59Boadicea, 109Caro lin e , 95Catherin e of Aragon , 92 , 258Russia , 235Charlo tte, 95, 229Christina , 1 28 , 1 29 , 235Elizabeth o f Englan d , 72 , 73, 94,Elizabeth o f Hungary, 6 1o f Great Britain , 237 , 248 , 268Hen rietta Maria , 96 , 128 , 222Horten se , 267Isabella o f Englan d , 97 , 120Isabella I I . of Spain , 64, 181fi

n e o f Navarre , 267ary o f Englan d , 95


398 IN DEX .

Sard,262

, 263S ard is, 363

satrap o f, 106Sardonyx , 360Arabian

, 360

CU P » 43Indian , 360Sar

gon , 78. 79

S assan ian period, 162

S aussurite , 328Saxon co urt, 51

k ings, 63palace, 50queen s,63

S axon s, 1 14

S cale o f hardn ess,1 5, 16

S can din avia, 304, 323S carabei, 43 , 48, 55, 164

Egyptian, 1 53

Etruscan , 1 53S ceptre, 62

o f the I liad , 62S ch lieman n ,

60

S choo l o f Min es, 54S ch '

orl, 307

S cipio African us,60

S cotch jewellers, 365Pearls, 296

topaz , 2 79S co tland, 72 , 73 , 104, 2 78, 2 79. 288. 339, 36s. 366S cot , Michael , 142S cott, S irW.

, 73 , 91 , 295S criptures

, 30, 366S cythian s

, 2 70

S eal , 1 1 1—1 14Of Augustus, 1 13Charlemagn e

, 1 13Chin a

, 368Darius, 1 13

Galba , 1 1 3Maecen as, 1 13M ichael Angelo , 1 13Persian , 1 12

o f Pompey , 1 13the Roman Pon tiff

,1 14

Sylla, 1 13S eaton , 151

S ecu lar uses of precious ston es, 75

- 1 14S eizure o f smuggled gems, 209S ejan us, 315S elen ite , 337S en eca , 83S en n acherib , 1 13S epoy mutin y

, 2 1 5S erapis, 107 , 1 13, 1 16, 165, 166S eringapatam

, 220

Sevres, 25S eville , 296S haff ras

, 232 , 233S hah , 2 1 7 , 314Jehan , 87 , 88, 126Rokh

, 2 14, 231

o f Persia, 67 , 137 , 142, 292, 301S oojah , 2 14, 2 72

S hakspeare , 108, 134, 295, 315S hat- el-Arab

, 232S hepherd- sto n e , 230

S hrin e of Astarte , 127Can terbury

, 129Edward the Con fessor, 129Vishn u

, 128Loretto, 128 , 268

Sain t Cuthbert, 1 29Den is, 128Ethelreda

,1 29

Sain t Thomas aBecket, 129

S hrin e o f the Three Kings, 25, 128Shrin es

,1 2 7o f Fran ce

,128

Ital 1 28

portab e,1 2 7

of S pain,128

Westmin ster, 129

Shylock , 31 5iam

, 252 , 301

iberia, 54, 64,icily , 346idn ey, 206

ierra da Frio, 202

S iege o f Troy,

”134

S ikhs,2 14

S ilesia , 3 13, 363, 369ilicified wood , 369irletti

, 1 50

S ize o f gems, 38, 39, 40

mart,1 51

Smith, J . L . , 338

moke- ston e , 365S olinus

, 13 1 , 135, 245S o lon . 53. 149S on stadt’s S olution

,

”1 7

S outh Africa, 1 76 , 189 , 2 10,238 , 320, 333America, 39 , etpasszm

S pain , 100, 1 22 , 126,1 28 , 1 50, 341

S pan iards, 89 , 9 1 ; 296 , 32 5, 32 7S pan ish ambassador, 268, 294

con querors,107

con quest, 265, 2 70, 2 73pen in sula , 268S pecific gravity , 16

Speculum L apideum ,

”138

S pen ser,134

Spin el, 300

-

302varieties, 3S podumen e

, 337S tan islaus, 53S tar- ruby , 2 50

sapphire, 250

S tatue o f Memn on , 336S teatite

, 337S tilicho

,1 10

S tosch, 194

gemS. 49

S ton e o f Balachan , 301

Jachen ,

”140

George , “M r., 369

S ton eham , 259 , 263S ton es for en graving, 160—165

o f Paradise,1 16

S trabo , 269S trass, 23, 24S trasburg , 149S treeter, E . W., 1 51 , 1 76, etpassz

'

mS trozzi co llection

, 42 , 48tuarts, 33. 95tyle o f an tique art, 154uccin ite

, 345ueton ius, 100uisun marble

,22 , 23

Su ltan Mahmoud,1 10, 18 1

of Oude , 268Turkey 86, 2 12S umn at, statue o 1 16

S umptuary laws, 34-

36

Sun - ston e , 330

S usa, 1 33Suvoroff , 98Swedish . 301 . 339Swedish n obles, 98Swiss, 9 1Switzerlan d, 9 1 , 223, 31 1 , 326, 334, 346, 352S ylla, 1 13S ymbolical gems

, 1 20

I N DEX .

S ymmes, Colon el , 3 10

S yria. 80. 138. x67. 343. 347S yriam , 303Syrian s, 78, 180

Tabern acle , Jewish , 1 18 ,0

1 20

o f the Escurial , 150

Table o f S o lomon , 268Tan cred , 99Tarpeia, 108

Tarpeian rock , 108Tartarx. 252. 253. 31 7Tavern ier, 39 , 45, etpasszmTa lor, B .

,64, 124

Te eran , 1 19Temple of Con cord , 106 , 1 19, 276 , 336Delphi, 1 1o_Dian a , 12 7Jerusalem ,1 18, 276Jupiter

,2 74

the Magi. 359M elkart , 2 75

Ten Comman dmen ts,245Ten n an t , Pro fessor, 70, 2 14, 227Tertiary period, 346Tertullian , 82Tests applied, 26, 2 7

Thales, 345The IEn eid, 153Thebaid , 2 73Thebes, 76 , 109 , 1 10Theodorus, 106

Theodoric , Co un t, 257Theophrastus, 8 , 131 , 141 , 143, 169, 251 , 274, 288,

The Ho ly City , 1 1 7Kaaba , 138 , 139Metamorphoses, 132, 1 53most an c ien t jewel , 1 18n umber twelve , 120Passion , 120

serpen t , 1 39Tay Mahal , 1 26, 1 27“ Three Brothers,” 256Virgin , 106

,122 , 124, 129West , 232

“Wildern ess ,” 147Thibet, 1 2 7 , 3 13 , 31 7Thomson ite, 339

Thothmes I I . , 7 7I I I .

,1 19Thurston , Gen eral G . P .

, 56Tiber, 299T iffan y " Co . , 5, 57 , 1 89 , 244Timour

,or Tamerlan e , 88

T ippoo S ahib , 89Titan ite , 333Toad- ston e , 139Tobias, 1 1 7To ledo , 46 , 60, 84, 246, 274Ton quin , women of, 1 10Topaz , - 2 79Brazilian, 365

fels, 279Mexican , 365Orien tal , 246S co tch , 2 79S pan ish

, 365 1

Tourmalin e , 306varieties of, 309Tourmalines o f Main e , 3 1 1 , 312Tower o f Lo ndo n, 36 , 70, 72 , 180, 222Town ley , 42

Townshend , C.H. , 44Trade in precious stones, 31 , 195, 196Tran sparen cy, 14Trezzo , 1 50, 194

399

Tripo li, 287Trojan War, 251Tr01an s, 1 34

¥ro 134u or rin cesgur

io

fi 38

94

ur e 1 2 0 203 1 3

Turkish co nquest, 85

n obility, 85

sultan s, 67 , 86, 87Tun n

. 305. 335Turquo ise, 3 12—316M oun t, 313Persian

, 312, 313Tuscan y , 153, 323Tyre. 2 75Tyrian princes, 79Tyrian s

, 343Tyro l , 3 10, 332 , 361U lysses, 147U n io , 288

U n ited S tates, 54, 159, etpassz'

mU r

,146

U rals, 64, 207 , etpassz'

m

U rim and Thummim,

”1 18

U ses o f precious ston es, 7 5an cien t , 76

- 85modern , 85sacred

,1 1 5—130

secular, 7 5—101in Burgun dy , 89-

9 1

Englan d.93.94.95.96France ; 92 , 93In dia, 88, 89I taly, 9 1Mogul Empire, 87 , 88S co tlan d , 94S pain , 9 1Turkey , 8 86

the U n ite S tates, 209

Vaal River, 203, 204Valho River, 186

Valen cian ite , 331Vase o f S t. Den is, 38Vatican , 41 , 262Library , 360Ven ice , 25, 104, 360, 365Ven us, 1 16- hair ston e , 340, 351statue o f, 336Vermon t, 3 10

Versailles, 45Vesta , statue of, 1 10Vesuvian ite , 365Vesuvius, 10Vicen tin o , 124Vicen za, 47Viceroy of Egypt, 269Vien n a

, 41 , 6 1 , 62 , 163, 1 75, 248, 286

cabin et , 323Villa do Prin cipe , 201Virgin ia , 207 , 328 , 330Viscon ti, 47 , 92 , 158Vishn u

,1 28 , 289Visigo ths, 84Vo lcan ic glass, 335Vosges Moun tains, 333Vulgate , 1 18Vulpin ite , 337

V ulpius, 337

Wagram , 267Wakefield Tower, 70Wales, 288

400 IN DEX .

Wallen stein , 256Washington , 54Waterloo , 38Wern er, 320Western Con tinen t, 28, 32 , et f assz'

mAsia,Westminster Abbey, 33, 36 , 70, 129

Westro p, H . M . , 16 1 , 2 15, 349, 368White ea, 366Whitby, 348William the Conqueror, 96Wil liams, A ., Jr., 5Willemite, 339Williamsite , 3 9Win dsorCas e, 2 14

Win ter Palace, 207Wo lf’ss -eye , 364Writers on precious ston es,

Yellowston e Park,287

Yemen,12 7

Zen obia, 8 1Zeo lites,10

Zian i, Admiral , 104Zimapan , 286Zircon , 3 18Zon ochlorite, 331Zoroaster, 131


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